Johto - Growing Up
by Fancyyy
Summary: After the Hoenn League, Lows decided to go to another region with Sip. He met many new trainers, including one struggling girl who would eventually help Lows along his journey. Another problem rised when a villain team returned, causing trouble to fulfill their goals. Will Lows go far in the Johto region, and find out what he really wanted to be? Hope you enjoy my second story! :D
1. Prologue

**Welcome to my second story of Lows Landerson's journey: Johto - Growing Up! That's right, Lows finished his journey in the Hoenn region, and he will be travelling in Johto to continue his journey as a Pokémon trainer. Expect many interesting things happening in his journey in Johto!**

 **I was originally going to name the story: Johto - The Journey Continues, but I feel like the new title suits more and explains more about Lows' growing up as a trainer along his journey. It also shows that I'm growing up as an author, and hoping to show a better side in every chapter.**

 **Anyways, enjoy the story!**

 **Prologue**

 _"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place."_

 _Barbara De Angelis_

The male and female duo had been doing research non-stop in the Johto region. They needed the information to fulfill the boss' goal, and help the team out.

When they found a decent amount of information, someone contacted them. The man, Boulder accepted the call and said, "Archer, how are you doing?"

"Our progress is great so far. Ariana, Proton and Petrel had trained hard and became much stronger than before. What about you two? Have you done the thing I told you to do?"

"Yes, Archer. We have been doing research all over the region, and we found some useful information about the Legendary Pokémon in Johto."

"Good... Send it to me right away after the call ends."

"You got it, Archer!"

Boulder and his partner, Raven immediately sent the information to Archer. Archer, who was at the Kanto region, received the information as he looked through it.

 _These are some useful information, all right... The two didn't fail me after all. We even got a powerful outside source to help us continue our research. Everything is definitely going well for us, we just needed a little more time... and we can return as Neo Team Rocket... and fulfill the boss' goal!_

Thinking about their upcoming victory, he evilly laughed, "Muahahaha..."

His evil laughs were heard throughout the building. He knew that once it was all set, they were ready to strike again.

* * *

 **On the other side...**

"So you did find the mystery trainer, after all..." Surfer smiled while my Pokémon listened to my story before we left Hoenn. We were still at the ship, and it would take us some time before arriving Johto. I used this way to use some time given for us.

"Yeah, I've never thought I would know the truth right at the very end! It's a good surprise to end off my journey in Hoenn."

I chuckled.

"Anyways, what are your plans for our journey in Johto?" Grace asked.

"Hmm... We'll just do what we did in Hoenn! Nice and classic."

"Oh, come on! There's so many more things that you can do in a new region. If we find new activities to do, can we please go and try them? Please..." Ziggs begged.

"Fine! I'll try them out when we have the time." I chuckled.

"When are we arriving in Johto?" Power enthusiastically asked.

"Should be about five hours." I calculated.

"Five hours?! What can we do in the meantime?" Surfer asked.

"Isn't staying in the room for the entire time an option for you guys?" I asked.

"I mean, it could work, but it would be too boring! Come on, let's travel around the ship when we have the time." Power suggested.

"Alright, once I get ready, let's get out of this room for an hour or so." My team cheered upon hearing my words, and we walked out of our room after everything was prepared.

The interior of the ship was enormous, and at the middle of the ship, there were some trainers having conversations about various topics. However, most of the trainers weren't there, they would probably rather just stay in their room for a whole day. Therefore, Sip was easily noticeable by me at the middle. I went over to me and asked, "Sip, you are here too?"

"Yeah, it was too boring staying in there, so I came and checked out what's in this ship. So far, I've only seen this place." Sip replied.

"Well, I agree with that. We're reaching Johto soon, though!" I excitedly exclaimed.

"It's exciting and all, but I'm also a little nervous. Going to another region is a new experience for me."

"Don't worry, when you're in trouble in your journey, just call me and I'll back you up!" I petted his shoulder.

"Yeah, this is why I'm happy to have a friend for this journey." He smiled.

"Anyways..." I said as we wandered through the ship and saw the trainers, "They should be challenging the Johto League for Year 2005 too..."

"Probably. Looks like we'll still be expecting some challenges in our league."

"Let's just have fun this time." Sip agreed with me, thinking about the incident that happened back then in the Hoenn League.

"I wonder... how the others are doing back in Hoenn?" I sighed, missing them already.

"They're gonna do fine, don't worry. Once the signal is back, let's message them our first experience in Johto and make them jealous!" I laughed at his words as we continued our exploration in the ship. It was just like a normal ship with all the usual facilities a ship would have.

After about two hours of casual exploring, the ship announced, _"We were told that a rainstorm will be coming soon and lasts about two hours. We suggest trainers to stay in their room to avoid unwanted trouble when you're out of your room. We hope you stay safe and enjoy the rest of the day in this ship."_

"Let's go back to our rooms, then. Let's meet up after we get out of the ship."

"Sure thing! See you, Lows." With that marking the end of our small exploration, we went back to our rooms as my team and I played the waiting game.

 _I've always hated the boring waiting game..._ I thought as I was forced to wait for another three hours before the ship arrived to our destination. In the meantime, we talked about our journey in Hoenn and the happy memories there. After that, we played some small games to spend some time. After what seemed like forever, we finally heard an announcement, _"The S.S. Johto will be arriving to New Bark Town in about fifteen minutes. Please pack your items and ensure that you don't leave your personal belongings behind before leaving. We hope you enjoy your stay at S.S. Johto."_

I immediately packed my bag and once I was ready, I was ready. Not just ready to leave the ship, but also to continue the exciting journey in a new region.

The announcement arrived shortly after the last one, _"The ship has arrived in New Bark Town. Please ensure your personal belongings are with you before you leave. We hope you enjoy your stay here and see you again."_

I excitedly ran out of the ship after returning my Pokémon. As I walked out of the ship and the building, before meeting up with Sip, I wanted to take a look at the first town in this new region.

The scenery was beautiful, with several new flying type Pokémon flying and chirping around the town. There were some small houses, a lab that seemed to have renovated. Besides that, there were a crowd at the middle of the town, and it seemed like there was an activity being carried out. Overall, it was one of the best towns I had ever seen.

Excitement filled my mind, as I happily thought...

 _We're finally here... in Johto!_

* * *

 **Question of the Chapter:**

 **What is the activity happening at the middle of New Bark Town?**


	2. Johto 1

**Lows finally reached the second region of his journey, Johto with his best friend, Sip. What welcomed them will be a test called Trainer Evaluation, consisting of different categories for a capable trainer. They decided to participate in the test to see how strong were their skills as trainers. How will they do in the Trainer Evaluation?**

 **Chapter 1 - Here We Come, Trainer Evaluation!**

"Hah... It's been quite a while since I saw a Pokémon Lab." I said, amused by the enormous and new-looking building.

"I've never seen one before! Not even the lab at Littleroot. Glad I could see it, Lows."

"Seeing it wouldn't be enough, though... You get what I'm saying?" I asked.

"That's right! Let's get into the lab-" He was about to run into the lab, but I stopped him.

"M-Maybe later..." I suddenly turned nervous as I saw the newly arrived crowd surrounding the lab.

"How about that commotion at the middle of the town? Do you think something is going on there?"

I felt uneasy seeing the crowd of trainers that Sip suggested us to face, as I shook my head and said, "We'll... do that after there's lesser people. Let's go and book a room first, and also register for the Silver League. You wanna share a room? We will save money that way."

"Sure..." He said, obviously aware of the uneasiness in my voice. However, he didn't ask anything as both of us remained quiet throughout the room booking and registering for our second league. As we entered the room and I put my things in my sleeping area, I started to think, _is he... mad at me for rejecting his suggestion?_

I went to him as I apologized, "Sip, I know you want to visit these places, and for my behaviour earlier... I'm sorry."

"O-Oh? It's fine! I'm not mad or anything. It's just that... do you have a reason behind your actions? I know you were feeling uneasy around the crowd that time..."

"In fact, y-you're right. Some stuff happened to me when I was younger. I would rather not talk about it..."

"Okay then, when you need someone to listen, I'm always happy to be that guy." He gave me a reassuring smile.

"Thanks!" I thanked him as I looked out the window and saw the crowd outside of town starting to become lesser. "Why don't we check out town now? There's lesser people there now, anyway."

"Sure thing! Let's go check out what was happening earlier in the middle of town, then we can visit the lab."

I nodded as we walked out of the room and went towards the middle of New Bark Town. There were still some trainers there, but I tried my best to not feel uncomfortable about it.

"Lows, look at this!" He called me as he pointed towards a poster that caught his attention. I looked at the colourful poster as it was written:

 **Trainer Evaluation**

 **The Pokémon League Association approved evaluation for the Johto region!**

 **You'll find out your levels of Knowledge, Strategy, Care and Skill as a Pokémon Trainer!**

 **Visit New Bark Town's Trainer Hall to participate in the Trainer Evaluation!**

 **Time: 9.00a.m. to 3.00p.m.**

 **Date: 4 December 2004**

"What do you say, Lows? Wanna join the evaluation?" He excitedly asked.

"Let's ask for more details about it first..." I said as I asked the receptionist there about the Trainer Evaluation.

"The Trainer Evaluation is a new test approved by the PLA to see how the strength of trainers for the Silver League. There will be a certificate listing the final results in the end. Each section will have a score out of five, and the overall score will be listed. There will be judges who will evaluate the scores for the Trainer Evaluation."

"Cool! How will that affect our journey though?"

"The overall score will be recorded by PLA and it will be mentioned in broadcasts, and predictions for battles in the Johto League. That means... Many people would root for you if you get a high score!"

"Sound interesting... Maybe we should join..."

"That's the spirit, Lows! Let's register for it!" Sip happily exclaimed as we filled in the forms and submitted them to the receptionist.

"Thanks for registering for the Trainer Evaluation, you won't regret your decision! Be sure to reach there in time!" The receptionist happily said.

We nodded at her words as we left the middle of New Bark Town. After that, we went and checked out the Pokémon Lab in Johto. There were still people there, but Sip was enthusiastic about visiting the lab, so I followed along him.

 _I'll have to get used of this someday..._

As we went and visited the lab, I heard two trainers who seemed to be friends having a conversation. The taller one with a red shirt asked, "Hey Winter, why do so many people visit this lab?"

"You certainly don't know much about Professor Elm, Leon." The shorter trainer with a gray shirt explained, "Professor Elm knows a lot about unusual Pokémon abilities, so many trainers ask him about the strong abilities that can help them out in their journey! Also, I heard that he is the first professor to find out that Pikachu is an evolved Pokémon!"

"Wow, that's some cool stuff right there! We should go ask him some stuff as well!" The tall trainer exclaimed.

"Not so fast... We'll have to wait for William before finding the professor. Talking about him, he's being later than we thought..."

"He did tell us that he would be late... I wonder when the ship he's in will arrive."

"Guess we gotta wait for that Slowpoke..." Winter said as the two continued with their random topics.

 _Professor Elm... He seems to be really intelligent. More reasons for us to visit him!_

We continued looking around the lab, which we saw several bookshelves, full of books about Pokémon general knowledge.

 _This is just like a mini library..._

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted when I bumped into another person and fell onto the ground. It didn't hurt much, but I was more embarrassed of myself.

 _Thank Arceus that there isn't many people here..._

Sip asked if I was okay and helped me up, as I recovered from the embarrassment, I apologized to the man I bumped into, "I'm sorry, sir!"

"It's okay. Besides, I should apologize as well." The man gave me a reasurring smile. He was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and grey eyes. He wore a pair of glasses, a white lab coat, brown pants and brown shoes.

 _I definitely saw this person before... Wait, he's..._

"You're Professor Elm, the professor that studies unusual Pokémon abilities, and discovered that Pikachu is an evolved Pokémon?" I told him what I heard from the two trainers before.

"Looks like you know some stuff about me, trainer. Yes, I'm Professor Elm. Besides the things you told me, I also specialize in Pokémon breeding and I really like to research about Pokémon evolution!" He exclaimed.

"Wow... That's some amazing discoveries!" Sip exclaimed.

"Well, I still believe I can do better. Anyways, you two seem to be from another region. Where are you two from?"

I introduced ourselves, "My name is Lows Landerson, he's Sip Anders. Sip is from the Hoenn region, while I'm from Kanto."

"Interesting... In Kanto, you should be grateful about having such a great professor in the region. I very admire Professor Oak's outstanding achievements. Professor Birch is also quite a professor that likes to do research based on his fieldwork. That's not something us professors do all the time!"

"I guess every professor has their own way of researching... Cool, very cool! Professor Elm, can you help me and my friend about Pokémon battling?" Sip asked.

"Hmm... I'm not a Pokémon battler, but I think there's something I can help you two with. Can you two send out three of your Pokémon here? Not Pokémon that is too large though, it might cause inconvenience for the people here." He asked.

"Sure!" I said as I sent out my three Pokémon that I would like to know more: Power, Shadow and Grace. Sip sent out Bounce, Magma and Shimmer, his Lanturn.

"Hmm... Lows, your Machoke's ability is Guts. If your Machoke faces a status condition, it will turn into an advantage as his power will be boosted!" Power happily smiled at his explanation.

"Meanwhile, Absol's ability is Super Luck, one of the unusual abilities that I like the most! Everytime your Absol attacks, the chance of getting a critical hit is greatly increased due to this ability!" I heard hiss explanation and thought, _so that's why Shadow landed many more critical hits compared to the others..._

"Gardevoir's ability is one of the abilities that most trainers like. It's Synchronize, an ability that passes status conditions to its opponent! However, only poisoning, paralysis and burn can be inflicted to the opponent." _Oh yeah, I almost forgot about this ability... Synchronize didn't do much when I was in Hoenn, maybe the ability can be useful in this region._

"Thanks, Professor Elm! I could say I got more knowledge about my team."

"No problem! Now, I'll help your friend about his Pokémon." As he explained to Sip about his team's abilities, I checked my Pokégear and saw some unread message from the chat group Disc created.

Disc: Hey! How's you and Sip right now? Reached Johto already? 

Regis: They only left Hoenn for two hours, Disc! 

Cassie: They will reply us soon, let's just wait :)

I smiled at their messages. They really cared about us two. I starting typing,

Lows: Sip and I reached Johto already, visiting the Pokémon Lab :D 

I also took a quick photo of Professor Elm explaining to Sip about Pokémon abilities and sent it to the group.

Disc: Jealous... :/

Cassie: I'll show you better photos when I reach Orange Islands! :v

Regis: Relax you two, haha!

I chuckled at the conversation as I closed my Pokégear. Sip was apparently done listening to Professor Elm's explanation, as we bowed to the renowned professor and said, "Thanks, Professor Elm!"

"No problem! Also, if you see Professor Oak, tell him I said hi!"

I nodded as we walked out of the lab, feeling quite satisfied with the new knowledge we acquired that day.

* * *

 _So... Are we supposed to be going for the Trainer Evaluation with absolutely no preparation?_

"Sip, aren't we supposed to prepare for the evaluation tomorrow? I don't wanna fail this!" I yelled, as for the past few days, we had been wandering around town and chatting in the chat group through our Pokégear. We were definitely not being like trainers who were about to take on a test!

"Relax, Lows! It's not like we know any of the questions for the test, and studying random topics would not help us in any way. Besides, we can't study care and skill!" Sip said as he lazily lied on the couch.

"I guess you have a point... However, don't you think we're not taking it seriously?"

"Hey, not studying doesn't mean we're not serious about it! Calm down and do our best tomorrow, and we'll do well tomorrow, alright?" He comforted me.

"I hope you're right..."

"Since when am I not right? We can do this, Lows." He gave me a high-five as we spent the day watching battles on television and some programmes explaining Pokémon knowledge. We didn't wanna be fully unprepared, anyway.

* * *

"T-The crowd is huge..." I nervously said as we looked at the huge amount of trainers in front of us at Trainer Hall.

"Let's find a quieter place to sit, then." He noticed my nervousness as we managed to find ourselves two seats that were slightly away from the crowd. We were also informed to switch off our Pokétalk device, including Sip's Pokétalk that he just obtained during the tests begin, but after a certain section was finished, we could use the Pokétalk for a short amount of time. After about fifteen minutes, we proceeded to take on the first section of the Trainer Evaluation: Knowledge.

We were each given a different seat in the huge hall, and there were many invigilators watching us, so cheating at the test would be most likely a thing we shouldn't do before getting into trouble.

We were given a set of questions, but we're not allowed to open it yet as a man who seemed to be one of the judges, went and stood in front of us as he explained the rules.

"The test for Knowledge in the Trainer Evaluation consists a total of sixty questions.

There will be three different levels carrying different amounts of marks. For the easy level, there will be thirty questions, each carrying one mark. Next up, we have the medium level which consists of twenty questions, each carrying two marks while the hard level has ten questions, with three marks for each question.

The total marks you got will be calculated for your final score for the Knowledge section in the Trainer Evaluation. Cheating is not allowed in the test and you will get disqualified for the Trainer Evaluation if you get caught cheating. The test will begin in ten minutes, and the time limit for answering this test is two hours. You can now check the papers to see if there's any errors in them." I quickly opened the set of papers and glanced through the questions every page.

 _This test... It seems very hard, I wonder if I can do well in this..._

It didn't seem long before the judge announced, "The test will now begin!"

Scribbling sounds was already heard from different directions, as I tried to finish all the questions. I know I wasn't the best at Pokémon knowledge, so I just hoped for a decent score as I did the test.

I looked through the easy questions first:

What status condition does a Rawst Berry cure?

 _Hmm... Thank Arceus that the "easy "questions are actually easier than I thought..._ I thought as I wrote the answer "Burn" at the column given.

How does paralysis affect a Pokémon in battle? 

I took a few seconds to think about it as I wrote, "It will cause the Pokémon's speed to be lowered and hard to dodge attacks."

The questions eventually proceeded to be harder and harder. One of the questions that I had a lot of trouble answering was:

What is the use for a Tamato Berry? 

_What is this question?! Well, I know it is a Pokéblock ingredient, but there must be something else..._

Knowing that I couldn't waste much more time on this one question, I just wrote, "Used to make Pokéblocks" as my answer.

Turns out that Tamato Berry makes a Pokémon friendly but lowers its speed...

Come on, how was I supposed to know about it that time...

Anyways, back to when I was taking the test, I eventually finished the easy questions and proceeded to the medium level. I was hoping this couldn't get any harder, but what came to me was the complete opposite: thinking questions.

Kenji is battling Perry. Perry is using his Infernape, while Kenji has to choose between three grass types: Grovyle, Exeggutor and Roserade. Who should Kenji use and why? 

_Great, how I always hated those kind of questions... Think Lows, think!_

I knew that it was a question about typing, and after some painful thinking, I found out the answer as I wrote, "Exeggutor, because its psychic attacks can put up a battle against Infernape, who is a fighting type."

 _Hopefully, I got it right..._

What should a trainer do if he/she wants to evolve an Onix? 

_Now, this is what happens when you don't study about special evolutions... Good job, Lows!_

Knowing that I won't get the answer for that question, I skipped the question as another one challenged me.

Jack is battling Kenny. His Pokémon is Gengar against his opponent's Gardevoir. What can Jack do to secure the win against Kenny?

 _Well... Gengar is definitely faster than Gardevoir... Then, it can just..._

I wrote down my answer, "Quickly send out super-effective ghost type attacks. Gengar has faster speed compared to Gardevoir, giving Gengar another advantage to strike faster."

After what seemed like forever, I finally finished the medium level questions. However, what awaited me were hard questions, which carried the most marks for this test.

I looked at the questions. _Hmm, most of the questions are about Pokémon abilities... Maybe, the information given by Professor Elm yesterday could help me out._

A Linoone is paralyzed by its opponent. However, its speed increased and gave the Linoone the advantage. Why is that?

 _Great, if only I asked Professor Elm about Ziggs..._ I gritted my teeth as I tried to remember when was Ziggs' ability used.

 _Oh wait, it was used during the battle with Flannery! I think it is the ability..._

"Linoone has Quick Feet, which increases speed when it has a status condition." I sighed in relief as I wrote the answer, as I looked at the other questions.

A Gardevoir is battling a Banette. The Banette managed to burn the Gardevoir with a Will-o-Wisp attack. However, Banette was also burned and Gardevoir managed to defeat Banette. Why did Banette burn as well, and how did it affected Banette in the battle? 

_At least, I asked Professor Elm about this..._ I thought as I wrote, "Gardevoir has the ability Synchronize, which passes status conditions to its opponent. Burn damages a Pokémon and decreases the power of an attack."

 _Hopefully, this is the full answer..._ I thought as I finally finished the papers. I was starting to get a headache from this dreading test, as I relaxed myself after finishing the test. There was still some time left, so I wandered around the hall.

I saw Sip as well, and he seemed to be having a hard time according to his expression. He just became a trainer, after all...

"The time is up! Everyone, please stop writing and wait for the invigilators to take your papers." We listened to the man and waited for them to take our papers. I heaved a big sigh of relief after the judge said we were able to take a break.

 _Phew... This is tough. I hope the next one won't be as hard..._

Little did I know, what would happen next was the completely opposite of what I hoped for...

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **Why is Lows uncomfortable around crowds?**

 **How you think of the first part of the Trainer Evaluation?**

 **What is going to happen next at the Trainer Evaluation?  
**


	3. Johto 2

**Upon reaching the Johto region, Lows and Sip found out that a test approved by the PLA called Trainer Evaluation will be held in New Bark Town. They eventually participated in the evaluation and for the Knowledge test, Lows really had a hard time. However, the next section of the test will be his worst nightmare in the entire evaluation. Will Lows do well for the next three sections?**

 **Chapter 2 - The Dreadful Test Continues**

After the dreading Knowledge section, we proceeded to the Strategy section, which was a thing I wasn't that good at.

 _Boy, I wonder if I will do good in this..._

A judge started talking once everyone settled down, "Alright, trainers! This time, you would be taking the Strategy section!

Each trainer will be given ten minutes to think about strategies to be performed to the judges later. No matter how terrible it might seems, how weird it is, you can perform them all here! We will evaluate the score based on your performance. The time for you to think will start... now!" He activated his stopwatch as most of the trainers stayed silent, probably thinking about how they were going to do this.

 _Great... The only strategy that I can think of is the Surf and Aqua Tail combo... Actually, is that even a strategy?! I really hope it is, I have nothing else to put on show..._

I tried my best to think of new strategies that could be used, but the previous test had taken away most of my brain power. However, I managed to squeeze another move combination into my mind.

 _Hmm... I still got the Aqua Tail and Ice Beam combo, but that would be all I got..._

"Time's up! Trainers, please wait until your name was called out by the PA system." As the names were called out, the hall became emptier and emptier. After quite some time, I was called by the PA system as I went in front of an empty room. A woman told me, "Lows Landerson, this will be where you perform your strategies. The time will be one minute. Once you start performing, the timer will start. The judges will observe you through the closed-circuit cameras. Good luck for the Strategy section!"

I nodded as I walked into the room. It was colored in white and completely empty. However, I saw some closed-circuit televisions around the room and knew that they would observe me from there.

 _Won't I look like a complete idiot in this room? I-I'm not the only one thinking like this, right?_

I took a deep breath as I sent out Surfer, "Let's show them, Surfer!"

Surfer appeared on the ground as I commanded, "Surfer, show them the Surf and Aqua Tail combo!"

Surfer started releasing a huge wave, as he rode on it and his tail started to glow light blue and spun around. A stream of water spiralled the tail as Surfer swung around his tail around the room. After the combo was over, the water was gone immediately. _Wow, technology..._

"Next up, Aqua Tail and Ice Beam!" Surfer nodded as he swung its tail that was surrounded by the stream of water towards the air, signalling that he hit his target, then he released the ice beam from his mouth at a fast speed. It was good at first, but I soon realized I had no more to show. I awkwardly stood at the room as Surfer curiously looked at me.

"S-Surfer, let's just go..." I said as we left the room, filled with regrets in my mind.

 _I must be looking like a complete idiot right there! Arghh..._

"You okay, Lows?" Surfer asked, "Honestly, that's the best we can do. We did better than expected..."

"I hope you're right, Surfer." I said, trying to recover for the next two sections, "Thanks for your work. Let's try harder for the next one!"

"That's the spirit! Braving the waves is what we do!" We high-fived as we waited for the next section at the hall.

* * *

"So, that trainer just left after those two combos." One of the judges said.

"How do you two think?" Another judge said.

"Firstly, the two combos are okay overall. However, it's too short and easy to be known by other trainers. He still needs to learn about more strategies." The main judge explained.

"I agree with that." The first judge said as he wrote down a score and showed to the other two judges, "Is this score for Lows Landerson good for you two?"

"Yeah, it's good... Keep it that way."

* * *

 **Back to the hall...**

As Sip returned from the Strategy test, I asked, "How is it?"

"Not too bad! I was able to think of some dazzling strategies. Hopefully, that will be able to help me get a higher score. I need to make up for my Knowledge test, anyway."

"Don't worry, we can do it! Let's work harder!" He nodded at my encouragement as we waited for the others to finish the test. After about thirty minutes, the trainers were finally done with the second test.

 _Let's just hope that the next one isn't as bad as this one..._

"The next section will be Care!" A man announced, "This time, trainers are required to take this test separately like the Strategy test! And for further details... You will know once you enter the room." He let out a sly grin as we started to feel nervous after hearing what he said.

After that, the PA system started calling trainers one by one as I nervously waited, hoping not to screw up this time. After about thirty minutes, the PA system finally called my name, making me more nervous as I stood up and got ready to go. Sip gave me a thumbs up as an encouragement, and I gladly accepted it before I went through the entrance of another room.

A man in front of me said, "I'm going to explain the rules. However, before you do that, please hand in all your Pokémon to me first."

Although I was confused, I gave the six Pokéballs to the man. He then explained, "Lows Landerson, you will be taking the test for Care. Walk into the room, and everything will be explained there."

 _Still being secretive? Hmm..._

I walked into the room, and the room design was similar to the last room, except that there was a glass wall, making me able to see what was inside there. Suddenly, the PA system announced, [Lows Landerson, your evaluation for Care will start now.]

Suddenly, the empty space inside the glass room changed to another sight. Looking through the glass, I was shocked.

Woody was there, standing on a platform. Below him were...

 _N-No... It can't be what I think it is, right?_

I trembled as I looked at the sharp-looking spikes below my grass type. Suddenly, I saw a man walking towards Woody, and I became aware. Woody though, he didn't seem to notice the man behind him.

 _The man... He's not going to push him, is it?_ I thought as I fearfully hit the glass, trying to get Woody's attention. However, Woody didn't notice me and he was shocked by the sudden push given by the man. The final scene I saw was him falling into the spikes, as the scene changed into an empty room again. I was shaking so much at this point, I couldn't make any reaction towards the shocking event. All I could care about at this point was one of my most loyal Pokémon's safety.

 _H-He's going to be fine... Right? Right? He has to be fine, surely..._ I fearfully thought as tears started to build in my eyes. I tried to shake my head to keep myself away from the negative thoughts.

Out of the blue, the scene changed again. This time, I saw Shadow in the room. Suddenly, another Pokémon appeared in the room, as I was shocked again to see an enormous Dragonite, appearing to be battling Shadow.

 _Shadow... Get out! It's too strong for you!_ I thought as I looked at my newest member. I could see the fear in her eyes as the Dragonite started charging up an attack, seemingly to be a Hyper Beam.

 _Shadow... Shadow!_ I yelled inside my heart as I continued hitting the glass, helpless towards the situation. As the Dragonite released its attack, the scene ended... again.

The tears fell from my face, as I helplessly leaned my head against the glass. _W-What do I do... I couldn't do anything to help them... I feel so weak at this situation..._

However, that was not all, another scene changed as I saw my starter, Surfer in an empty room. Suddenly, it was dark and pitch black. I heard him ran around the room, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, memories from before started to appear in my head...

 _"You don't deserve to be in this school!"_

 _"You'll have to take a test to get accepted by us..."_

 _"Stay in this room, do not get out unless I told you to!"_

 _"W-Why is this door locked? H-Hello? Anyone there?"_

 _"I'm scared... Help me!"_

I opened my eyes, as I was trembling in fear. I knew what Surfer was going through that time. Whether it would work or not, I hit the glass, trying to get his attention. I knew he needed the comfort, and only I could help him that time.

After it seemed like the glass was about to break, Surfer heard my knocks as he walked towards me. I could tell he was scared from his expression, as I yelled, "Everything is going to be fine! Please, hold on, don't be scared..."

I didn't think that Surfer heard my words, but somehow my presence comforted him as he didn't look as afraid as before anymore. Relief came to me as I continued knocking the glass, showing that I was still with him. Suddenly, the scene changed as the room became empty again.

After minutes of holding back, I still went into breakdown mode. I cried again, hoping that they all would be fine.

 _Woody... Shadow... Surfer, please be fine! I won't ever forgive myself if I couldn't protect you all..._

I had to walk out of the room after the man outside told me to, with my mind still filled with concerns.

* * *

"Now, this trainer isn't someone you see everyday..." One of the psychics exclaimed. There were three psychics, watching the trainers' actions and evaluating the scores.

"What is his name? Lows Landerson... right?" The second psychic asked.

"Yeah, that's him. Let's talk about our opinions towards this trainer." The third psychic suggested.

"So, I said that this trainer isn't someone to see everyday, because his actions really made me feel touched. At the first part, he showed his fear towards his Pokémon being in danger."

"I agree. After the second part, I saw that his mind was filled with sad thoughts towards his Pokémon's safety. He even cried in front of the cameras, his care was shown to us from this test."

"The first two parts was just to show how the trainers' care for their Pokémon. However, the third part would be the deciding factor. When your Pokémon was just in a dark room with no risks of danger at all... We'll see if the trainer truly cares about it.

I saw this trainer's care towards his Pokémon through that part. It felt like he knew what his Pokémon was going through. He tried to comfort him, and he kept on hoping that they would be fine. I could see that he felt responsible for his Pokémon's safety."

"Well said." The first psychic said as he wrote down the score after hearing the other two's opinions. He then showed the score to the two. "Is this a reasonable score?"

The third psychic grinned as he said, "Yeah, he definitely deserves that score. He showed us so much more than that score today..."

* * *

I went back to the hall, still full of concerns about my Pokémon's safety. Sip comforted me as he returned, saying that our Pokémon will all be fine. He believed that his Pokémon can handle the situations on their own.

 _I hope he's right..._ I thought as the man announced, "We're all done with the Care section. And finally, we are going to be evaluating Skill for the trainers here!

Two trainers will be battling together for the Skill evaluation. However, instead of using your own Pokémon, you have to use a random Pokémon! Good luck and do your best for the final test!"

The trainers gasped as they knew that using an unfamiliar Pokémon could change their outcome in battles, thus affecting their scores. I took a deep breath as I thought, _I guess I have to move on for now..._

My name was called rather earlier than the previous sections, as I walked into a battlefield. The referee gave me three Pokéballs as he said, "Please pick a Pokémon, Lows Landerson!"

I picked the middle one without much hesitation and sent the Pokémon out. It turned out to be a Spinarak, and a piece of paper was tied to the Spinarak's head. Taking out the paper, I read it and knew that the female Spinarak had a moveset of Agility, Pin Missile, Spider Web and Poison Jab. I was slightly nervous at first due to my fear of bug types, but she looked friendly and innocent to me, so I held back my fears and tried to cope with the Spinarak.

The other trainer walked into the battlefield and sent out a Cyndaquil, the fire starter from Johto.

 _Great, the type disadvantage already..._ I thought as the referee announced, "The Skill Evaluation will now begin, Lows Landerson and Jeverson Lukas! Your time starts now! Please choose the first move."

I nodded as I commanded the Spinarak to use Agility. She started running at a fast pace, getting faster as she continued. However, the other trainer wanted to go straight in with a Flame Wheel attack.

I knew I needed to stop its powerful super-effective attack as I commanded, "Spinarak, use Spider Web, then Pin Missile!"

The Spinarak nodded as she released a spider web, landing directly at the Fire type and slowing it down. After that, the Bug type launched the deadly pins three times in a row. It didn't deal much damage, but at least it stopped Cyndaquil from attacking.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack, then use Ember!" The Cyndaquil suddenly hit Spinarak with lightning speed, and hit it with the flames before it could recover. The Spinarak winced in pain after getting hit by the super-effective attack.

"Never give up, Spinarak! Use Pin Missile!" Spinarak heard my encouragement and launched the powerful pins again. It hit the Fire type as a critical hit, much to my surprise. The two Pokémon panted as the bell rang, signalling that two minutes were over.

I walked out of the battlefield as I thought, _Maybe it would be better if I used Poison Jab, but nevertheless, it was not a terrible battle._

* * *

After everyone was done with their final evaluation, it took the judges about thirty minutes to calculate the final score for each trainer. After that was done, they secretly called the trainers one by one to face the three judges. Many trainers were worried that they won't do well, including me. However, I was still concerned of my Pokémon's safety, hoping that they would be fine.

[Lows Landerson, please meet the judges at the main room.] I stood up from my seat as I walked to the destination, filled with worried thoughts. As I opened the door, I saw three judges with stern looks on their faces. However, I knew I had to know my Pokémon's condition.

"Is my Pokémon okay-" I tried to ask the judges, but was stopped by one of them. "The results are going to be revealed now for Lows Landerson. Further questions can be asked later."

I grumbled inside my mind, but I tried not to show to the judges. Besides, based on what he said, I would get the answer eventually.

"Firstly, for the Knowledge section. You have been doing well for the easy questions. However, you slipped a lot in the medium level. You did okay at the hard questions, but you still got some answers wrong. After converting your score, your score for Knowledge will be... Three out of five."

I felt like this score was already enough for me as I sighed in relief. However, I know the next one won't be a good score.

"Next up, for the Strategy section. You showed us two move combinations, and that was... kinda it. They are fine strategies, but we hoped you can show us more instead of awkwardly standing there doing nothing. We know you can do better. Your score for Strategy is... Two out of five."

My heart slightly ached hearing this score, but I nodded. I knew I needed more work for this section.

"This time, it's the Care section. If you don't know what was going on back then, I will explain to you right now.

Basically, we took your Pokémon at the start and put them into three different scenes: falling into spikes, battling a much stronger Pokémon and stuck in a dark room. Then, we hired psychics to observe your actions and feelings, thus they will evaluate the score.

Also, if you're still wondering..." He grinned as he continued, "Your Pokémon are all fine. It was all just a show, to see how you would react to them being in trouble. We told your Pokémon to act throughout the three scenes."

 _Ah, you all... You all are so going to get it after this..._ I jokingly thought as I grinned. I was happy to hear that they were fine.

"Well, according to the psychics, we can say you did a great job. We even checked the clip to see if you're worthy of this score. We were touched by your feelings towards your team as well. Therefore, we all agreed that you are getting a five out of five for this!"

 _Wow... I never thought I would get a full score... I still have a lot to learn, but I'm glad that this test showed me that I have to always care for my Pokémon._ I thought as I thanked the judges.

"Lastly, we have the Skill section. Your overall skill is decent, we would say. However, it would be better if you can fix your strategies and find a way to use the most powerful move, that could change the battle. As such, it's a three out of five for you.

We calculated the overall score, and your final score is... 3.25 out of 5. It's an average score for a trainer, I should say. Keep up the hard work and you can do better in no time!" The judge concluded as another judge handed me the certificate, which I gladly accepted. I then thanked the judges before leaving the room. I received my Pokémon before leaving Trainer Hall from a man. I sent out my Pokémon as I said, "Well, you three should really try acting..." I said as I grinned.

"Hey, it's not like we had any choice! Besides, it showed that you really cared about us, Lows." Surfer exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm not mad, this test made me learn a lot too. Thanks a lot, you all." We had a group hug as we saw Sip walking out of the hall with a big smile.

"How is your score, Sip?"

"It's pretty good!" He exclaimed as he showed me the certificate. It showed that he got 2.5 for Knowledge, 3.5 for Strategy, 3.5 for Care and an amazing score of 4.5 for Skill. He got an overall score of 3.5 out of 5, quite a good score for me.

"Good job!" I gave him a thumbs up as he asked my score, which I showed him the results.

"Wow, your Care got a full score! No doubt, though. You really care about your Pokémon." He said.

"I never thought I would get a five as well... Not gonna complain, though!"

"Let's go and have some curry chicken at the restaurant, shall we?" Sip asked.

"Hmm... I would rather have ramen right now, but curry chicken is fine too. Let's go-" Suddenly, we were interrupted by some crying. We looked at each other before searching for the source of that crying. After some searching, we saw a girl crying at the bench, upset with something. We nodded before going towards the girl, knowing that she needed comfort.

 _What happened to her that made her so upset, anyway?_

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of each section for the Trainer Evaluation?**

 **Do you think that Lows deserve a higher or lower score?**

 **What was all the crying about?**


	4. Johto 3

**After the Knowledge test, Lows had to go for the evaluations for Strategy, Care and Skill. He didn't do well in Strategy, but successfully got a full score for Care with his true feelings. For Skill, he got an average score as well, making him getting an overall score of 3.25 out of 5. Feeling satisfied with their scores, Sip and Lows were about to go celebrate until they heard crying near them. They went for the source of all the crying and saw a girl at the bench. What is all the crying about and how will the two comfort her?**

 **P/S: Special thanks to Shslcardiologist for providing me the OC, Lisa Karame!**

 **Chapter 3 - Providing the Needed Comfort**

"Sip... What are we supposed to do?" I whispered while we continuing peeking at the crying girl.

"Well... We can't just leave her crying here! We have to do something..."

"I guess you're right. Maybe we should go and ask her what's going on..."

"Yeah, that would be our plan for now. Let's go." We nodded as we walked towards the girl, who still didn't notice us.

"Erm... Hey, are you okay?" I came up with one of the most awkward ways to start a conversation. The girl heard me and looked at me, before looking away in embarrassment.

"H-Have you two heard my crying? I-If so, I'm sorry." The girl said, sounding flustered.

"It's okay. What happened to you that made you cry like this?" Sip asked in concern.

"I-I would rather not talk about it..." She said as she looked down towards the ground, not wanting to tell us what happened.

"Never mind then! Also, we should introduce ourselves. This is Sip Anders from Hoenn, and I'm Lows Landerson from Kanto."

"K-Kanto? That's my hometown... Anyways, my name is... Lisa. Lisa Karame." Lisa introduced herself.

"Cool, you live in the same place as me! Why did you come to Johto, then?"

"W-Well... I came here for my studies in Violet City, and I just graduated at the Pokémon Academy."

"Then, you must have some Pokémon with you too, then. Why don't you let us see them? We will show you our Pokémon, too." Sip gave her a good suggestion, which could also help us with our investigation, since I could talk to her Pokémon and see what was going on.

"I-I guess I can do that." She said as she sent out her three Pokémon and introduced them, "My Totodile's name is Suiryoku, my Vulpix's name is Hibana, while I call my Zorua Bureiku."

I sent out my team as I introduced them one by one to Lisa. Lisa then looked at them, appearing to be interested in Grace.

"Your Gardevoir... She looks gorgeous." She exclaimed as Grace bowed as a way of thanking her compliment.

When Sip was keeping Lisa busy by introducing his Pokémon, I got the opportunity to scan the three with my Pokédex. [Totodile, the Big Jaw Pokémon. It is small but rough and tough. It won't hesitate to take a bite out of anything that moves.]

I was shocked by the entry, but the Totodile looked friendly as I sighed in relief. Next up, it was the Vulpix. [Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. If it is attacked by an enemy that is stronger than itself, it feigns injury to fool the enemy and escapes.]

Lastly, I scanned Bureiku as the details appeared again, [Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. It changes into the forms of others to surprise them. Apparently, it often transforms into a silent child.]

I didn't forget the main reason I want to meet them, as I asked, "Hello, you three... If you don't mind me asking, do you know why your trainer is crying back there?"

Hibana answered, "No, not really... She has been really down ever since the Trainer Evaluation is over."

Suiryoku also replied, "Yeah! She kept on saying something like, 'I screwed up...' I guess it has something to do with the Trainer Evaluation."

"Thanks, you all." I felt like I gathered a big clue: Lisa was feeling upset after the Trainer Evaluation.

As Sip finished introducing his Pokémon to Lisa, she seemed to have slightly recovered as she said, "T-Thanks for showing me your Pokémon, Lows and Sip."

"No problem! I had fun interacting with them as well." I replied, referring to her Pokémon.

She then turned quiet as she went and held Hibana on her hands. The Vulpix seemed to be enjoying her trainer's company.

 _She must be still be bothered by whatever that happened... Somehow, we have to help her, and I think I know how. We'll have to get straight into the point._

"Lisa, I'll be honest here. You should really tell us what happened. It will make you feel better. We promise we won't tell anyone, we're here to help you out here." I said.

"Erm..." She said, starting to take my words into her mind. However, she was still slightly hestitant to tell us.

"Let's say... It has something to do with the Trainer Evaluation?" I asked, as her face turned red and her eyes widen in shock.

"H-How did you know about that?" She asked, starting to give in the truth.

"Suiryoku and Hibana told me about it. They are very concerned of you as well, Lisa. You really need to express yourself."

"Oh, Suiryoku, Hibana..." She said while she petted her Pokémon, knowing that she had to give in the truth eventually.

"Well, if you think we're not trustworthy, it's fine to not tell us." Sip said.

"N-No, I never thought about it that way! I enjoyed you two's company and efforts..." She sounded flustered as she sighed, "A-Alright then, I'll tell you two."

She didn't tell us the story, instead she gave me a piece of paper, which we soon knew that it was the certificate for the Trainer Evaluation. I looked at the score and it turned out that Lisa was a pretty decent trainer, getting a 3 for Knowledge, a 4 for Strategy and 4 for Care. However, when I looked at the score for Skill...

"Zero points?" I curiously looked at the score, hoping that the score was wrong. However, noticing Lisa's changing expression, I knew that the score was correct. She got a 0 for Skill, somehow...

"W-Well, you see what happened..." She said, tears starting to form in her eyes again, "I really messed up, didn't I..."

She was starting to sob again as she hugged Hibana, who was willing to give the comfort she needed. We knew we had to help her recover as well.

"Hey, it's okay! It's not like failing this evaluation is the end of the world..." Sip exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's right. Besides that, you can prove them wrong by improving yourself more and more as the time goes! I'm sure that you'll do well in the future."

She heard our words and looked at us, "A-Are you sure?"

"Of course! Besides, it's not like this evaluation determines all abilities of a trainer. It's just a test, and sometimes even the best trainers could fail at times as well! Don't let this bother you, there are so many things you can do." I suddenly became a motivational speaker. Maybe, I could be one someday...

"I... I guess... We still have our Pokémon by our side, after all..." She said as she hugged Hibana and petted Suiryoku and Bureiku. However, I suddenly felt dizzy and black out for a second as I heard a voice in my head,

 _"I just wished I could've done better... That trauma really affected me... It's okay though, I have them with me, that's all it matters."_

I opened my eyes, recognizing the voice as Lisa's. I was going to ask her what was going on, but knowing that she just recovered, I didn't want to make her upset again.

"Sip, did you hear her talking a few seconds ago?" I whispered.

"Erm... No, why?" Sip curiously looked at me.

"Nothing..." I said as we stared at Lisa, who was returning her Pokémon and appearing to be waiting for something.

 _I guess it's just my imagination..._

Lisa suddenly saw a cab and immediately stopped it. She then asked the driver some questions and started to head towards the passenger seat. Before leaving, she thanked us, "Thanks, you two! You two really cheered me up today. And..." She asked while her voice became slightly flustered, "W-Will we meet again?"

I answered, "Definitely. We will see you soon, Lisa!"

"Yeah, see you!" Sip exclaimed, while the girl nodded and went into the cab. We then looked at the cab as it left New Bark Town.

"Guess we did a great job on comforting her," Sip said.

"Yeah, maybe we can be motivational speakers one day!" Sip chuckled at my joke, as he suddenly thought about something, "Hey... Lows?"

"What is it?"

"So... is the celebration still on?" He curiously asked.

"Hahaha... It's still on, don't worry. Let's go right now!" I chuckled as we ran straight into the restaurant, ready to enjoy some delicious cuisines.

* * *

Since the Trainer Evaluation was over and we had explored almost everywhere around New Bark Town, we were going to leave this nice town the next day for our next destination. When we were packing up our things, Sip asked, "Where are we going next?"

"Hmm..." I said as I looked at the Map App in the Pokégear, "Looks like we'll be heading to Cherrygrove City next. It is also mentioned that this city is the city of cute, fragrant flowers."

"Looks like we'll be enjoying some fresh air in this city!" Sip joked.

"Hahaha... I guessed you're right. I'm ready, what about you?" I chuckled.

"Just a few more things..." He said as he put his red cap inside the backpack, just in case he needed it on the way. I looked at the pile of things he hadn't put in his backpack, and an item caught my attention.

I took the item as I looked at it, and it was a photoframe with a picture of Sip and his parents.

"You really miss your parents, don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah... I guess you can say that." He said, "I took this picture with me, just so I can see my parents whenever I feel homesick. However, I always make sure to call them from time to time..."

"Same, I miss home. However, I call them during my free time as well, I want to see how they are doing. Maybe, I should call them after I reached Cherrygrove."

"That's a plan, Lows." He said as he finished packing up, and we left the PokéCentre and went for our next destination: Cherrygrove City. It wasn't that hard of a journey to Cherrygrove. In fact, it was easier than we thought. We reached the city in about thirty minutes. The Pokégear apparently didn't lie to us, as the city was full of fresh flowers, which made us more comfortable around the city.

We were going to look for the PokéCentre, until an old man suddenly jumped out from an alley between two houses as he said, "You two are new faces! Wondering where to go?"

"Well, I guess..." Sip said, shocked by the old man's sudden appearance.

"Alright then! I'll show you around this city!" He happily said as he grabbed our hands and pulled us around the city. He showed us some buildings and houses, which were quite useless to trainers like us. He explained a lot about them, making us slightly annoyed. At least he showed us the PokéCentre is the end, which was where we wanted to go.

 _At least that was some free time spent..._ I thought as the old man said, "That's it for the Cherrygrove City Tour!"

He suddenly looked at his watch and turned into a worried expression as he said, "Oh no, she is going to be back from work... I can't let her find me here! I gotta go..."

He started running back to his house, but he turned back to us as he asked, "You two, if a lady asks about me, just deny everything she ask, alright?" He then dashed to his house, making us confused.

"Well, that was weird..." I rubbed my head as Sip nodded, agreeing with my words. Just when we wanted to head to the PokéCentre, we saw a lady staring at us. She was holding a handbag with an exhausted look on her face.

"You two seem to be new trainer in this region... Did an old man give you two a tour? He always give tours to new trainers in Cherrygrove, which annoyed some of the trainers."

I immediately knew who she was, and remembering the old man's request, I answered with a lie, "Erm... No?"

"No? That's strange! For once, he is being a homebody! Anyways, thanks for the information." She said as she went to the house that the old man lived.

"I guess that's settled... Shall we get into the PokéCentre now?" Sip asked.

"Yeah, let's go. It's getting late, anyway." I said as I stared at the sky, which was slowly getting darker.

We went to the PokéCentre as we healed our Pokémon and booked a room. After that, we immediately went to the room and settled down as we were quite exhausted. However, I still didn't forget what I wanted to do as after a quick shower, I went ahead and called my parents with my Pokégear. Fortunately, they answered as their faces appeared on the screen.

"Mom, Dad!" I happily greeted.

[Lows! It's great to see you again. How are you doing in Johto?] My parents smiled.

"It's pretty good so far! I just reached Cherrygrove City, and I'm going to Violet City soon!"

[It's good that you planned everything, but don't overwork yourself, Lows.] My mother adviced.

[You don't have to worry about Lows, Irene. I'm sure he can do this on his own with his abilities.] My father said as my mother nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'll be fine. Anyways, how are you two doing in Kanto?" I asked back.

[It's been fine. Actually, our house has been more crowded after some guests came!] My mother happily exclaimed.

"Guests? What guests?" I asked in curiosity.

[Oh, what am I saying! They're not guests, they're family! I'll show them to you right now.] She chuckled as she turned their Pokégear to two familiar faces.

"Sis, Wally!" I happily said.

[Little bro! You're right, after we got back home, Mom and Dad started sticking to me like glue! Help!] I laughed at my sister's words.

[At least we're able to have some date time now that we have tons of time.] Wally said as my sister nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad that you returned home... Times at home are something we should always cherish in our life." I said, starting to miss home again.

[Little bro, don't worry! After the Silver League, maybe you can come back to Kanto and participate in the Indigo League! I'll be guiding you to victory!] She eagerly said.

[Yeah, Lows. Why don't you return home after everything is done? We would all like it.] Wally smiled.

"Hmm... Maybe you two are right. I'll think about it..." The two smiled as we talked about what was going on lately. After quite a while, I looked at the time and I was shocked: _It has been thirty minutes?!_ I looked at the Pokégear and realized the battery was low too.

"Everyone, the battery is quite low, and we talked a lot today. I'm gonna go now, see you soon!" I waved my right hand to them.

[Alright, see you!] They all waved their hands as well as I ended the call and charged my Pokégear. As I had some time, I thought about their suggestion.

 _[Little bro, don't worry! After the Silver League, maybe you can come back to Kanto and participate in the Indigo League!]_

 _[Yeah, Lows. Why don't you return home after everything is done? We would all like it.]_

 _Hmm... Going back home is a nice choice. However, let's not think about it right now. I haven't even started the Silver League, after all._

I stared at the charging Pokégear as I smiled. _I'll return home soon, I promise..._

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **Do you think Lisa and Lows will meet again? If so, where would it be?**

 **What do you think is the reason behind Lisa's failure in the Skill evaluation?**

 **Do you think Lows should go back** **to Kanto after the Silver League?  
**


	5. Johto 4

**Meeting a female trainer named Lisa Karame, Sip and Lows comforted her after her failure for the Skill evaluation. After that, they headed towards Cherrygrove City, where Lows called his parents back at Kanto and talked with his sister and Wally too. After a short time staying in Cherrygrove, they were going to their next destination: Violet City, where there was the Sprout Tower that Lows was interested to challenge as a training.**

 **Chapter 4 - Training Before the Action**

After leisurely staying at Cherrygrove City for a few days, we had to leave for the next city. It really was a great city, I especially won't forget the beautiful flowers around here.

However, we had to leave to continue our journey in the Silver League. Therefore, we bid farewell to this city and left off to Route 30, which was one of the routes leading to Violet City, our next destination.

Violet City was where we will challenge the first gym leader in Johto, where trainers will take their first step in the Silver League. We were quite excited to get there as soon as possible.

However, it took us some time to get to the city. Trainers everywhere looking for battles, and the wild Pokémon that constantly appeared just made the road more tiring and challenging.

"Lows... How long will it take for us to get to Violet City?" Ziggs said, appearing to be exhausted. I sent him out for the walk with us so it won't be boring, but he didn't seem to enjoy it after about an hour.

"Hmm..." I tried to estimate the time, "We just stepped into Route 31, which was shorter than Route 30. Maybe... thirty minutes or so?"

"Thirty minutes?!" Ziggs yelled, "You know I can't stand long walks, Lows..."

"I know, but it's a great way to train your stamina, isn't it?" I chuckled.

"We can just use the bike... That would be way easier and faster!" Ziggs exclaimed.

"Well, I still can't get the hang of it with riding a bike. Besides, if we use the bike, Sip would get left behind. He doesn't have a bike! Besides, let this be a fun bonding time before seperating with Sip, Ziggs."

Sip and I planned to seperate after reaching Violet City. It wasn't that we didn't get along well, we just waned different perspectives of our journey in Johto. We were doubling the experience and story! Also, something told me that he would definitely have a faster journey on his own.

"Yeah, I understand... Fine, I try to bare through this, although I'm starting to get tired..." Ziggs sighed.

"Why don't someone else replace you? One of them could require some exercise too." I said as I sent out one of my most loyal members and asked, "Woody, want a short walk to Violet City?" Ziggs nervously chuckled at my words: he knew it wasn't a short walk at all.

"Sure! It would be nice to stay out of the Pokéball." Ziggs' expression changed as he happily exclaimed, "Alright, a break!"

I returned Ziggs as we continued our journey with Woody at my side. I felt the need for a conversation, and I knew exactly what to tease Woody. I still needed a payback from what happened in the Trainer Evaluation, anyway.

"Woody, how's been going with you and Grace?" I asked him while his eyes slightly widen.

He nervously answered, "Well, just the same as before... Why is that?"

"Hmm... It really doesn't seem the 'same'... Is there something else to it?" I playfully said. I was quite a romance enthusiast, after all. At that point, I knew Woody and Grace had some feelings towards each other.

"N-Nope! You don't need to worry about it..." He looked at the ground, flustered, while I smirked, getting my sweet revenge. I decided not to push much further though, I felt like it was already enough.

 _Let things proceed on their own..._

* * *

"Woo! We're finally here. Now we can take a break!" I cheered as I stayed in the room we just booked upon reaching Violet City. We didn't explore the city yet, and we just went straight into the PokéCentre due to how exhausting we were after that long walk. It was worth it, I guess...

"You got that right, a break is really needed right now... My legs are sore!" Sip exclaimed as he lied down on his bed. I was sure that he was just as exhausted as me.

"Let's rest for a few hours before exploring the city." I suggested as Sip nodded, and we went to our respective resting places as I went to my bed for a quick rest after a relaxing shower.

* * *

"Hey, he's completely asleep..." Surfer said to his energetic friends. They were sent out to do whatever they wanted by Lows before taking a nap. They splitted into two groups: the boys and the girls. The boys were currently wandering around, while the girls were watching television programmes.

"Well, how do we spent the free time? I mean, none of us is feeling tired, right?" The boys nodded as a response to Power's question, they just got healed at the PokéCentre, after all.

"Why don't we play the game that we played back at S.S. Johto?" Ziggs suggested.

"You mean..." Power tried to think back what they played before.

"Yup! Let's play Truth or Dare!" Ziggs happily exclaimed, "The four of us, it would definitely be fun!"

Suddenly, Surfer managed to get an empty bottle as they formed a circle. After that, Surfer put the bottle in the middle of the four boys as Woody said in amazement, "Wow, I'm surprised that you could find a bottle that fast..."

"Call that a surfer's sense! Now, who wants to start the waves?" Surfer excitely asked.

Ziggs excitedly used his paws to hold a side of the bottle, while Power helped holding the other side with his hand. After that, they spun the bottle at the same direction. As they watched the bottle, it started to slow down and finally stopped. The bottle pointed towards...

"Power! You're first." Power shrugged at Surfer's words. He didn't have many secrets to hide from his friends. Not yet, at least. With that, he decided to go for...

"I choose Truth."

"Alright then! Power, what's the relationship between you and Shadow?" Ziggs smirked, trying to fish out some information.

"I'm amused by how fast you can come up with a question, but sorry to tell you guys, we're just friends, nothing more."

"Aww... Boring! Don't you have any feelings for her?" Ziggs sadly said.

"Nope! I'm uninterested in starting a relationship. Guess I'll be spinning the bottle next!" Saying that, he used both hands and spun the bottle. The bottle stopped at Surfer this time, as Surfer sighed and went for Truth. Power was about to ask the question in his mind, but Surfer said, "No romance questions, please. You know what my answers are."

"I know that, Surfer. That's why I'm asking about friendship instead of romance! Who is your best friend out of us, and why?"

"I can easily say... The Pokémon that bonded with me the most is Ziggs." Ziggs happily jumped as he was mentioned, "You all are good friends to me too, but he was the earliest member and we bonded pretty well before you two joined."

"Guess that's understandable... Surfer, spin the bottle!"

Surfer nodded as it took him a while to spin the bottle with Power's help. The bottle stopped at the Wood Gecko Pokémon this time.

Woody knew what question they had in mind, and he didn't want to feel embarrassed again just like back at Route 31. "Dare."

"Ooh! That might be a bad move, Woody." Surfer smirked as he whispered to Woody, "I want you to hug Grace."

Woody's eyes widen upon hearing the dare. Sure, he hugged Grace before, but hugging her in front of everyone... He never done that before. _In front of that many pairs of eyes?! Looks like I have to embarrass myself again... I hope Grace doesn't mind._

He took a deep breath, as he walked towards the girls.

* * *

Grace and Shadow were watching a programme that was... quite boring to say the least. Grace was thinking to start a conversation, but she knew Shadow wasn't the best reactor.

However after some time, she finally asked, "Hey, Shadow?"

Her Dark type friend turned to her and looked at her, confused as Grace asked, "Do you have feelings for any of the boys? Like, any of them?" She was curious, and since she told Shadow about her feelings towards a certain Grovyle, it would please her to know about Shadow's feelings as well.

Shadow shrugged as she said one word, "...Uninterested."

"Really? You have been very close with Power. No feelings towards him?"

"...Not my cup of tea." Shadow managed to spit out her longest sentence ever.

"Just good friends, huh..." Shadow nodded at her friend's words. Suddenly, her attention drew from Grace to another Pokémon. Grace looked beside her and saw a nervous Grovyle.

"Hey, Woody. What's wrong?" Grace asked, worried with Woody's expression.

"G-Grace... F-Forgive me for t-this." He suddenly leaned towards Grace and wrapped his hands around the Psychic type.

Grace was surprised by the sudden hug, as her calmness failed to work at that time as she turned slight red on her face. However, she liked the hug and returned the gesture to the shy Grass type. That made his face turned even redder. After that, he quickly ran away with an embarrassed look on his face. Grace just stared at him until he was out of sight. She turned back to Shadow, who had a smirk on her face.

"S-Shadow! It's just a h-hug!" She yelled, while Shadow laughed at her friend's flustered reaction.

 _It's just a hug... Nothing more, Grace!_

* * *

Woody ran back to his friends, who had wide smiles on their faces.

He sighed as he said, "I'm never playing this game with you all again..."

"Fine, we'll end the game for today. However, I see that you enjoy the hug, Woody. You definitely have feelings for her!" Surfer exclaimed.

"M-Maybe..." Woody said, flustered while admitting his feelings towards Grace in front of the boys. At this point, it wasn't surprising to them anymore.

"What are you waiting for? Get the girl, Woody!" Ziggs happily cheered for his friend.

"I-It's not the right time yet! Besides, she might not even like me. She deserves someone better than me... way better than me."

"What makes you think that? I feel like you deserve to have her. You really made her happy, after all."

"I just feel like... I don't deserve her, that's all. I'm just an awkward Pokémon overall..." He sighed as he looked at the floor.

The three male Pokémon looked at Woody sympathetically. They knew how much he been through in the past to make him thought like that. It will take him a while to regain the self confidence he didn't have yet...

* * *

"That was a good rest..." I said before giving out a yawn. I just woke up from my sleep as I fixed my messy hair and walked out of the room to see my Pokémon.

"Hey everyone! Sorry, that nap went a little longer than usual... Anyways, anything interesting that happened while I was asleep?"

"Not really, I guess." Power shrugged, but I saw Woody with an upset expression.

 _Maybe, something did happen... If they don't want to reveal it though, I shouldn't force them to do that._

"Alright then! Since Sip is still asleep, do you all want to explore Violet City with me?"

"Yeah, we're on!" They happily cheered as we ran out of the room and the PokéCentre as we went inside the city.

Basically, Violet City was a city that I quite liked as well, maybe even more than Cherrygrove! The city didn't fail its slogan, "The City of Nostalgic Scents". The buildings gave me an oddly nostalgic feeling, which was something that I didn't usually get in many cities. Also, something special in this city was, there was the Pokémon Academy, but I didn't go in for... several reasons.

Soon, we were right in front of the Violet Gym. It looked like a normal gym, but I was still excited seeing it. _I will be challenging the first gym in Johto soon!_

"Lows... Are we going to battle the gym leader already?" Surfer asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Nothing... It's just that some of us haven't battled in a while! We might get a little bit rusty, and our performance won't be so hot!"

"You're right, Surfer... What should we do? We need some extra training before challenging the gym leader! We can't go unprepared..." I said as I thought about how we could train.

"Maybe... Let's continue exploring around the city. Who knows, we might just find a spot for us to train!" Power suggested, as we nodded and continued exploring.

After walking past a few houses and buildings, we were about to leave at the northern part of the city until something caught my attention.

There was a three-tiered tower with multiple eaves. It was constructed solely out of wood, creating a multi-story effect. We awed in amazement to see how tall the tower was. A man walked by saw our expressions as he said, "This must be your first time looking at this tower, I suppose!"

"Y-Yeah! What is this tower?" I curiously asked.

"This is the Sprout Tower. It is a large pagoda located in this city! The tower is held together by a giant flexible pillar, and this flexibility protects the tall tower from earthquakes and symbolizes the battles that are occurring on upper floors. Legend has it that a 100-foot-tall Bellsprout was used to make the swaying pillar. It is inhabited by monks who study diligently and teach that all living beings coexist through cooperation! They would definitely like any challenges from trainers."

"Really? That's great! I can do some training with my team..." I suddenly was curious of how much he knew about this tower, "How do you know so much about this... Sprout Tower?"

He chuckled, "I may or may not live in that tower before. Anyways, it's a long story. Go ahead and challenge them!"

After thanking the man, we walked into the Sprout Tower, ready to get some training done.

 **Sprout Tower  
Experience the Way of Pokémon  
to Cast Aside Your Doubts.**

 _Great, this sure is a wobbly pagoda..._ I said while trying to not fall off due to how wobbly it was. After a few minutes, I was able to stabilize myself before I kept on going.

 _Well, let's start training, shall we?_

* * *

"Power, use Seismic Toss!" Power nodded as he launched the Bellsprout into the air and push it back into the ground. The Bellsprout couldn't withstand the pain as it collapsed.

"Looks like I'm down too... You're good!" The sage remarked.

"Thanks... I guess? I think I'm gonna keep going now, I still have sages to battle." I replied.

"Oh, there's only one trainer left! It's the Elder among us! He just recently evolved his Pokémon too, you better be more careful. Good luck!"

After listening to his words, I thanked him as I continued walking to the ladder and climbed up to the next floor. I assumed this was the last floor as I saw an eldery man standing there, seemed to be waiting for my appearance. I walked towards him as he said, "Welcome to the final floor of the Sprout Tower. My name is Li, I am the Elder of the Sprout Tower Sages. In this tower, monks study diligently, train their Bellsprouts, and come to learn that all living beings coexist through cooperation. We also would like to spread the message... by battling you!"

"Alright then!" I happily accepted the challenge as I threw a Pokéball. This Pokémon hadn't trained for a while anyway.

"Let's fight, Grace!" The Gardevoir appeared at the battlefield as she waited for her opponent to be sent out.

"Show them our bond, Weepinbell!" He said as Weepinbell was sent out. It had a yellow, bell-shaped body. It had a wide, gaping mouth with pink lips. Above Weepinbell's circular eyes was a pattern of three small green spots and a small hook-shaped stem.

 _It's most likely the evolution of Bellsprout... I should be careful._

"Grace, Shadow Ball!" Grace nodded as she charged up the dark blob. However, before she could fire the shot, Li commanded, "Weepinbell, use Flash!"

Weepinbell suddenly flashed a bright light, blinding me and Grace. Grace released the shot and unfortunately, the shot went wrong and didn't hit her opponent.

"Grace, it's okay! Calm Mind, then use Psychic!" Grace closed her eyes as a psychic aura surrounded her.

The Elder then commanded, "Weepinbell, Sleep Powder!"

As the white powder scattered above Grace, I immediately changed my plans, "Grace, use Psychic to remove the Sleep Powder!"

Grace used her concentration and managed to move the Sleep Powder back to her opponent. It didn't work on the Grass type, but at least we're safe from falling asleep.

"Weepinbell, Poison Powder!" I was confused by his next command, but I used the same strategy to remove the attack. However, Li commanded, "Distraction successful! Weepinbell, use Slam!"

The Weepinbell suddenly rushed towards my Gardevoir as he gave her a huge slam. She took some damage from the impact, but was still able to battle.

 _We need to find a way to hit this Weepinbell..._

"Grace, use Thunderbolt and surround Weepinbell!"

Grace nodded as she summoned the lightning bolts, surrounding Weepinbell until he had nowhere to go. After that, I found the opportunity and commanded, "Grace, use Psychic now!"

Grace grinned as she focused her psychic energy into her opponent, damaging the Grass and Poison type. Weepinbell winced in pain as he had a tired expression. _That super effective attack must've took a lot of damage off him..._

"Weepinbell's only weakness is... He can't stand Psychic type attacks. Guess we gotta go all in for this! Weepinbell, Razor Leaf!"

"Grace, Shadow Ball once again!"

Grace was able to release the dark blob faster than Weepinbell, as the dark blob was about to reach him, he was able to release the sharp leaves before getting hit directly by the Shadow Ball. Unable to withstand the impact, he collapsed. Grace was also hit by the sharp leaves, but she quickly recovered while I asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good, just a few scratches from Razor Leaf."

 _Guess a Psychic attack is all he needs..._ I thought as the Elder said, "Congratulations! Looks like you defeated me. I can't even land that many hits on your Gardevoir! You did well, and you definitely remind me of someone, his name is... Actually, I can't remember!" He chuckled.

"Thanks! That is some good training for our team, too."

"I hope through our battle, you can understand that all living beings coexist through cooperation, just like us and Pokémon."

"That's really true..." I thought about his words and he was definitely right. I couldn't be here without my Pokémon. We worked together in our journey and developed a strong bond together.

Maybe, we didn't just get to train in Sprout Tower, I also learned... something much more valuable.

"Thanks, Elder Li." I smiled at the elderly man, as he returned the smile before I left Sprout Tower.

* * *

"Where have you been, Lows?" Sip asked as I just got back into our room.

"I just went to the Sprout Tower for some training." I replied.

"It must be a great experience, then! I wish I can go too!"

"It sure is... Hey, it's getting quite late!" I said after looking at the time. "We got some ingredients, right? I'll cook for tonight."

"Really? I can't wait to try out your food!"

"Well, take that as a farewell gift before we split up... Just hope that you don't suffer from food poisoning after eating my food." I chuckled, obviously joking.

"Nah, I know you're good at cooking, and I can't wait to eat the food! I'll help you out, too!"

"Hmm... I could need some help. Let's get it going!" We laughed as we headed towards the kitchen, where we worked together to make our dinner.

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of the Truth or Dare game? **

**When do you think Woody will gain enough self-confidence?**

 **Who do you think will be used against Falkner?  
**


	6. Johto 5

**Lows Landerson had reached Violet City for his first badge in Johto. Before that, he stumbled across the Sprout Tower, where he thought could be a good place for training. He challenged the Sprout Tower and succeeded in the end, and he learnt about the importance of cooperation between living beings. He wanted to challenge Falkner, the Violet Gym Leader after a few days. Will the training pay off in this battle?**

 **Chapter 5 - The Rematch With the Soaring Beasts!**

"Come on Sip, you can do it!" I cheered as I watched the gym battle took place right in front of my very eyes. Sip was battling the gym leader, Falkner. I came to support him, and also get some information about his Pokémon for my upcoming gym battle.

It was down to an one versus one: Sip's Magcargo, Magma against Falkner's Pidgeot. It was quite a battle to say the least.

The battle was coming to an end as Sip commanded, "Magma, Ancient Power!"

As the slightly exhausted Magcargo started throwing the boulders towards the panting Flying type, Falkner yelled, "Hiyaku, dodge and use Aerial Ace!"

"I know you're going to use that move! Magma, get ready for Overheat!"

The Pidgeot dodged the boulders as he started to fly towards the Fire and Rock type. However, the Magcargo was already prepared as hot flames bursted from him and hit the nearby Pidgeot. The Pidgeot was hit onto the ground and finally, he collapsed. The Magcargo panted at the battlefield with a weak smile on his face.

"Hiyaku is unable to battle! Magma wins! The winner is Sip Anders from Lavander Town!"

Sip cheered as he ran to his Magcargo and petted him. After returning him, Sip went ahead and received the badge from the gym leader. We then left the gym, quite happy with the outcome.

"Magma did so well out there!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, every battle I faced, there was always a hero in my team! Magma is definitely the hero for today!" He happily said.

"Since you got your gym badge... When are you going to leave?" I sadly asked. He said he was going to leave Violet City as soon as he got the badge.

"I was planning to go today... But after the gym battle, I decided to wait for your battle against Falkner before I leave. Someone's support can definitely give you a positive mind."

"I'll accept the mental support, Sip!"

We laughed as Sip suddenly asked, "When are you going to battle Falkner?"

"I already reserved a battle in two days... I just hope my team is prepared for it." I worriedly replied.

"It's not like you didn't face a gym leader before! Come on, you can definitely do this." He encouraged me.

"Maybe you're right... It might not be as hard as I think. I'll do my best no matter what!"

"That's the spirit, Lows!" He chuckled as we went to the PokéCentre for a tasty meal.

* * *

 **The next day...**

I knew I had to set up my team for the battle, so early in the morning, I sat on my bed, trying to think of a good team.

 _Falkner is a Flying type specialist, and the battle format will be three on three single battles. The problem is, Power and Woody both have the type disadvantage. Besides that, Grace is not capable of taking physical attacks, which are something Flying type moves mainly consist of. Ziggs also had a hard time facing Flying types in the past..._

 _What do I do?_ I thought as I couldn't get the right direction towards the team that I wanted. I decided to wait for the others to wake up and ask their opinions before making a team. I wanted them to all be satisfied with my decision since we were a team, after all.

After about two hours, they all woke up and after they were ready for another day, I asked them to gather around and explained to them about the problems we will be facing in the upcoming gym battle.

"...As such, I feel like Surfer and Shadow definitely need to step up for this. Is this okay for you two?"

Shadow nodded with a determined look on her face, while Surfer happily replied, "Of course! I would like to ride the waves again."

"Thanks, you two. However, now we have a problem. I really don't know who to choose as the final member. So, who wants to step out of this for this battle?"

Silence were around the room, until Power slowly raised up his hand. Slowly after that, Ziggs raised up his paw as well.

"Alright, I understand. That leaves to Grace and Woody. Grace is weak to physical attacks, while Woody has the type disadvantage. Who would like to battle?"

Grace replied, "I think I should battle this time. Woody battled Winona back at Hoenn, and I think I should step up this time. Besides, it could be a good training in taking physical attacks."

"A-Are you sure you're going to be okay? I can battle again if you want..." Woody asked, worried.

"No, it's okay. I believe I can do this." Grace replied, while Woody nodded as a response, respecting her decision.

"That's settled then! Shadow, Grace and Surfer will be battling for tomorrow." The team happily cheered for the three battlers for the gym battle. I clapped along them as we went to train hard that day. The first gym battle in a new region was always important, after all.

 _Hopefully, we can do this tomorrow..._

* * *

"I'll be at the arena seat, alright? Don't worry too much about it, and just battle like how you battled before, and everything will be fine!" Before going to the arena seat, Sip encouraged me.

"I really hope you're right..." I nervously replied.

"Since when am I not right? I believe in you! Good luck!" He said as we gave each other a high-five before he went to the arena seat.

 _Come on, Lows. It's just a gym battle! Battle hard like you always do..._

After I was ready to take the battle, I went into the battlefield, hoping for the best result.

"Oh? You're the friend of the strong trainer I battled two days ago. I wonder if you are just as strong as him." He remarked.

"I will defeat you, Falkner!" I said in determination.

"I like your confidence, but hopefully your skills are up for it." He said as the referee went to the middle of the battlefield.

"This battle will be a three on three single battles format. The trainer who manages to take down all the opponent's Pokémon wins the battle. The challenger can choose the first move and switch Pokémon during the battle. Do you understand and agree to these rules, Lows Landerson from Pallet Town?"

I nodded as the referee announced, "The battle between Falkner and Lows will now begin! Trainers, please send out your first Pokémon!"

I knew who to choose from the beginning as I took out the first Pokéball and threw it, "Let's battle, Shadow!"

Falkner did the same as well, as he threw his Pokéball slowly after me, "Fly high, Noboru!"

The two Pokémon landed at the battlefield, examining each other. Falkner's Pokémon was a large, wingless, three-headed avian Pokémon. Each head had a long, sharp beak and a black feathered, V-shaped crest. It had bristly brown feathers covering its heads and upper body, while its lower half had a smooth layer of black feathers. Its wingless body rested on two long and slender legs. There are sharp claws on each toe. The Pokémon also had black necks.

[Dodrio, the Triple Bird Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Doduo. If one of the heads gets to eat, the others will be satisfied, too, and they will stop squabbling.]

"The battle between Noboru and Shadow will now begin!"

"Shadow, Night Slash!" I said, knowing that landing the first hit was important.

"Noboru, Agility, then use Fury Attack!" Falkner commanded, as Noboru started to lighten up his weight and started charging at my Absol as fast as lightning.

 _H-He's fast!_ I thought as the Dodrio jabbed Shadow with his beaks for three times. Before he was able to retreat, my Dark type forcefully slashed the Dodrio's body, causing some damage and hitting him back to his side.

"Shadow, calm down! Use Psycho Cut!"

"Noboru, counter with Tri Attack!" The two Pokémon released their attacks almost at the exact same time, as the purple cresent-like blade of energy collided with the orb of energy and disappeared, leaving nothing to attack the Dodrio.

 _The attacks weren't impactful enough to Noboru! This isn't good..._

"Shadow, Night Slash!" I said, knowing that she needed to deal some damage to the Flying type.

"Noboru, let's go in! Drill Peck!" As Shadow tried to slash her opponent with her glowing claws, Noboru's beaks suddenly spun like a drill and started stabbing my Dark type. Despite getting stabbed by the beaks, she still managed to slash the Dodrio with her efforts. However, after taking two hits, she panted hard while Noboru didn't seem to be tired at all.

 _This is bad..._ I thought as I commanded, "Shadow, use Payback!"

"Noboru, use Drill Peck again!" As the Dodrio started spinning his beaks, I knew what I had to do.

"Shadow, Protect!" Shadow nodded and formed the protective barrier around her as the beaks hit the barrier. As the barrier started to break down by the powerful attack, I knew she had to make another response fast.

"Shadow, Psycho Cut as the barrier breaks!" Shadow waited for the right time and launched the purple blade of energy as soon as the barrier was broken by the powerful attack. The Dodrio was hit back, but he recovered and started spinning the beaks again and stabbed my Absol once again.

 _That Dodrio just won't give up!_ I gritted my teeth as Shadow was too tired to battle, as she collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

"Shadow is unable to battle! Noboru wins!" I went over to Shadow as Shadow had a sorry expression on her face.

"It's okay, Shadow. I know you did your best. Take some rest." I petted her and returned her back to the Pokéball. After that, I took out my second Pokéball and threw it without any hesitation.

"Finish him, Grace!" I threw the second Pokéball as Grace appeared beside me, ready to avenge her friend.

"The battle between Noboru and Grace will now begin!"

"Grace, Calm Mind, then use Thunderbolt!" I said, remembering the face that Shadow Ball wasn't effective in this battle.

Grace closed her eyes as her body shined brightly. After she opened her eyes, she released the powerful bolt of electricity towards the opponent. She was able to accurately hit her target thanks to the Calm Mind. The Dodrio cried in pain before I even knew, he suddenly panted hard, signalling that he was getting exhausted.

"Noboru, Fury Attack!" Falkner said in desperation, knowing that Noboru was going down soon.

"No you don't! Grace, throw him back with Psychic!" Grace's eyes immediately turned light blue as she heard my command, and Noboru was surrounded by a light blue energy. She then closed her eyes and the Dodrio was unable to get close to my Gardevoir anymore and he got thrown into the air and fell face first at his side. After that, he was unable to get up as I heaved a sigh of relieve.

 _Maybe, this battle is still possible..._ I thought as the referee announced, "Noboru is unable to battle! Grace wins!"

As Falkner returned his Dodrio, he took out his second Pokéball and threw it immediately, "Let's fly, Sensui!"

Sensui had brown plumage and a darker brown triangle pattern of feathers running down its chest. Its wings and wedge-shaped tail were dark brown, while the undersides of its wings were light brown. It had bushy, cream-colored feather 'horns' that looked like a trident or eyebrows. The ring pattern around its eyes and its talons were cream colored, and Sensui's beak and talons were light pink. He also had large, red eyes.

[Noctowl, the Owl Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Hoothoot. When it needs to think, it rotates its head 180 degrees to sharpen its intellectual power.]

"The battle between Sensui and Grace will now begin!"

"Grace, use Thunderbolt!" I said, knowing that we needed the upper hand.

"Sensui, Double Team!" Sensui closed his eyes and created multiple copies of himself. The Thunderbolt that was created hit one of the copies and the copy disappeared, but I knew trial and error wasn't the best method at this point.

"Grace, can you try to detect which one is the real Sensui?" I asked.

"I think I can do that, but it would use some time. I'm going to try and take a hit or two and hold on." She replied.

"You can do this, Grace!" Grace nodded as she heard my encouragement and closed her eyes, starting to detect the real Noctowl. Falkner didn't waste the opportunity and commanded, "Sensui, use Zen Headbutt!"

The "Noctowls" started to charge up the attack as the top part of their heads glowed blue. After that, they surrounded Grace and rushed towards her.

Suddenly, Grace said, "I... I found the real Sensui!"

"Good! Grace, use Thunderbolt on him!" Grace nodded as she didn't waste much time and shot the powerful bolt towards the real Noctowl. However, Sensui was already close enough and slammed her before getting hit by the bolt. The impact pushed both of them back as they slowly got up, still able to battle. The copies disappeared as soon as the Noctowl was hurt by the Thunderbolt.

"Sensui, use Air Slash!" The Noctowl raised his wings above his head and a spiraling light blue orb of energy formed in between them.

Just when he was about to shoot the orb, I asked Grace, "Can you maybe use Psychic to move the orb back?"

"Maybe... The orb does seem powerful, though... I'll try."

After everything was ready, Sensui threw the ball at Grace. The ball became surrounded by a light blue aura as it got closer. Grace closed her eyes and tried to control the orb with the light blue energy, but suddenly, the orb broke through the energy and hit my Psychic type.

 _The attack... It's so strong!_

As my Gardevoir fell onto the ground, I asked in concern, "Are you okay?"

"I can still battle... But, Sensui breaking through my psychic powers gave me a slight headache, and that was a powerful hit..."

She winced in pain again as she held her head with her arms. I knew her condition wasn't good, and I immediately told the referee, "I'm removing Grace from the battle."

"The challenger decided to remove Grace from the battle! Sensui wins!"

"Y-You don't have to do that..." Grace said, forcing a smile.

"I know you can't hold on much longer, the headache is affecting you. It's okay, you did well! Take a rest." Grace nodded in exhaustion as I returned her. This was when I started to become concerned.

 _Only Surfer is left... I knew Sensui was exhausted as well, but there will be another Pokémon later after him... I hope Surfer can do this._

"Show them, Surfer!" I threw my final Pokéball, letting fate to decide what was going to happen.

"The battle between Sensui and Surfer will now begin!"

"Surfer, Iron Defense!" Surfer's shell was outlined in light blue as it started to shine, increasing his defense.

"Sensui, Zen Headbutt!" The top part of his head glowed blue as he flew towards Surfer.

"Surfer, use Surf now!" Surfer nodded as he made a huge wave towards the flying Noctowl. He then rode on the huge wave, while we had another surprise on our hands.

"Sensui, dodge and fly directly towards Surfer!" The Noctowl was able to make a quick stop and flew up, dodging the waves as he continued flying towards my starter. This was when we showed our surprise.

"Surfer, Aqua Tail now!" Surfer nodded as his tail glowed blue and a stream of water spiraled it. He then swung his tail around when the Noctowl got close, hitting him and sent him flying in the air as he fell onto the ground. It was pretty obvious that he was badly injured and unable to move anymore due to the huge impact.

"Sensui is unable to battle! Surfer wins!" I cheered for another win, but I knew the last battle would be the toughest.

"Sensui, good job." Falkner said as he returned the Noctowl. He then quickly took out his last Pokéball and threw it, "Hiyaku, it's time to fight!"

The Pidgeot who made Magma had a hard time appeared right in front of my eyes. [Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Pidgey. It spreads its beautiful wings wide to frighten its enemies. It can fly at Mach 2 speed.]

 _Alright, here we go..._

"The battle between Hiyaku and Surfer will now begin!"

"Surfer, Iron Defense!" I knew that having a high defense for this battle was essential.

After Surfer's defense was increased, Falkner commanded, "Hiyaku, Twister!"

The Pidgeot summoned a tornado almost immediately, and moved it towards my starter.

"Now's the time! Surfer, hide yourself inside the shell!" Surfer nodded and immediately hid his limbs and head inside the shell. The tornado tried to overtake the shell, but the shell was too strong at this point to be taken over by the attack.

 _I knew that Iron Defense will work well in this battle..._ I smiled as Falkner said, "Nice defense, but we can still do this! Hiyaku, Aerial Ace!"

I knew that Hiyaku had the speed of lightning, and what he did proved me right once again. He immediately flew towards Surfer with white streaks surrounding his body. Surfer was forced to take the hit, but he didn't take as much damage as he should be taking thanks to the high defense.

As the Pidgeot was still trying to fly back to his side, I commanded, "Surfer, don't let him go! Use Aqua Tail and grab him!"

Surfer started to swing his tail towards the Pidgeot after his tail was surrounded by a stream of water. He managed to grab the Pidgeot, as I continued my command, "Surfer, Ice Beam!"

Surfer nodded and as the Pidgeot struggled to get out of his tail, he formed the ice beam from his mouth and released it right at Hiyaku. The Pidgeot winced in pain as he finally got off the tail and flew back to his side.

"Hiyaku, Roost!" Hiyaku immediately landed on the ground while he stopped panting and healed up.

 _Oh, no you don't!_ I thought as I commanded, "Surfer, take him down with Surf!"

Surfer nodded as he made another huge wave and rode on it before it crashed down to Hiyaku, who was unable to fly back up due to the move Roost.

"Hiyaku, wait for his next move!" Falkner commanded, and I knew something would be up, but I commanded anyway to see what he would do next. "Surfer, Ice Beam!"

When Surfer was about to release the ice beam from his mouth, Falkner commanded, "We don't have any choice... Hiyaku, Mirror Move!"

Suddenly, an orb appeared from Hiyaku's mouth as well, similar to Surfer's Ice Beam. The two attacks collided, but Hiyaku was having trouble controlling the copied move. Surfer got the advantage as his attack slowly pushed back Hiyaku's Ice Beam. He added more power to the attack, and the Ice Beam hit the Pidgeot. Hiyaku winced in pain by the super-effective attack before he finally collapsed, unable to move.

"Hiyaku is unable to battle! Surfer wins! The winner is Lows Landerson, the challenger from Pallet Town!" The referee announced as I happily gave Surfer a high-five.

"Surfer, you did very well there!"

"Thanks, Lows! Your Iron Defense tactic is great. I feel like a tank in that battle!" He happily exclaimed.

Before I could answer him, Falkner's voice appeared, "The high defense really killed our chance to win. You did well."

I happily smiled by the compliment as I said, "Well, they always say, 'Defense is the best offense', isn't it?"

Surfer chuckled at my words while Falkner said, "You won this battle with your great skills. I present to you the Zephyr Badge!"

After he said that, he handed me a badge that was shaped like a pair of wings. I took the badge gratefully as I put it in my badge case.

 _My first badge in Johto... I'm getting closer to the Silver League!_ I happily thought as I thanked Falkner. Before I left, Falkner and I exchanged Pokégear numbers and he said, "I wish you the best in your journey. It's only just the beginning..."

"I know, and I'll do my best for the Silver League!"

"This is why I like energetic trainers. Good luck!" He thanked me as I happily ran out of the gym after meeting with Sip.

"Surfer really did great out there! The other Pokémon did their best too!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, they really worked well out there. They deserved a good rest for all of that. What are you going to do now?" I asked.

"I guess I'm going to pack my things and leave. I would like to continue my journey now." He said with a smile on his face.

"That's great-" Suddenly, I heard crying near me, and that immediately caught my attention.

"Hey, do you hear someone crying?" I asked, but Sip shook his head, which made me confused.

"A-Alright then. Why don't you go pack up your things first? I'll come back later to say goodbye." He nodded as he walked back to the PokéCentre. I then started searching for where the crying came from. Not only because I was curious and wanted to help, it was because that...

 _This crying... I definitely heard it before! If I'm not mistaken... It must be from..._

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of the battle?**

 **Who was crying near Lows, and what's the reason for the crying?**


	7. Johto 6

**After an intense battle with another Flying type specialist, Falkner the Violet Gym Leader, Lows was able to defeat him thanks to Surfer's huge efforts in the battle. When they were about to head back to the PokéCentre for healing, he suddenly heard familiar crying near the PokéCentre. He tried to look for the source of crying, and saw a scene that really made him remembered his past memory that he always wanted to forget.**

 **Chapter 6 - We're All the Same**

 _This crying... I definitely heard it before! If I'm not mistaken... It must be from..._ I thought as I searched the source of crying. As I got closer and closer to the crying, I saw two girls, and a Totodile beside a huge bush near the PokéCentre, and one of them was none other than...

 _Lisa! I knew it was her! Is she in trouble?_ I thought as I decided to continue stay hidden while hearing their conversation.

The other girl had a sly grin on her face, as she taunted, "Lisa, what's the matter? Afraid to talk for yourself?"

"I-I didn't fail the evaluation without a reason-" She said between sobs, but was cut off by the rude girl.

"Yeah, yeah! No reason? Just admit it, you're just a terrible trainer that doesn't even know how to battle! You're a disgrace for Kanto!"

I was slightly angered by her words. I knew Lisa had a reason why she failed the test, but the girl's words was just making me angrier than usual. I saw Lisa's Totodile, Suiryoku tried to protest, "Lisa, don't listen to her! Bully, you better back off! Don't hurt my trainer!"

"Aww, trying to help you trainer? That's cute..." She said in a sarcastic tone, "Honestly, you should just leave her! She wasn't worthy to be your trainer at all! I would ask you to join my team, but you're also weak!"

The Totodile was angered by the bully's words as he used a Water Gun attack towards the girl. However, the attack wasn't aimed well as it didn't hit the girl.

The girl kept her sly grin as she taunted, "Aww, what's the matter? You can't even land hits on your opponent? Pathetic! A terrible trainer has terrible Pokémon!"

Lisa just kept on sobbing, while my eyes were filled with tears as well. Not because of me feeling upset of the girl's words, it was because her attitude... triggered the memory I always wanted to forget. Images appeared in my mind as I trembled in fear to remember what happened in the past again. I shook my head, trying to shake the memories off my mind. After putting aside the terrible memories behind, I only had one thought in my mind.

 _Lisa... She needs help!_

I stood up in determination, as I yelled at the girl who was still taunting Lisa and Suiryoku, "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The girl was slightly shocked by my sudden appearance, but she quickly recovered and sneered, "Who are you anyway? What's the matter with you, trying to help that lame trainer?"

"She's not terrible or lame! At least she doesn't say terrible comments about other people, like you do! Honestly, you need to stop!" I was angered by her attitude.

"Who are you to stop me... Hey, I know you from TV! You're that trainer who got a full score for Care in the Trainer Evaluation!"

 _Wow, they already started broadcasting the scores of trainers?_ I thought as she continued taunted, "I wonder how did you even get this kind of full score if you help terrible trainers? You must have cheated or something-"

"I DID NOT CHEAT!" I yelled as I walked and stopped in front of her, giving her a glare while thinking, _I hate bullies like you... so much!_ "I care about my Pokémon as much as my friends! I bet with your attitude, your Pokémon won't like you!"

"Why don't I adjust that sentence for you? 'I care about my terrible Pokémon as much as my terrible friends!' That's what you're trying to say, isn't it?"

"My Pokémon and my friends aren't terrible! I can defeat you anytime, anywhere!" My confidence suddenly appeared in me as I knew this girl needed to be stopped.

"Alright then! We'll settle this with a battle. If you win, you can leave with your lame friend. If you lose... you have to admit I'm better and say sorry to me!"

"Y-You!" I gritted my teeth, but I knew I had to accept the deal if I wanted to get Lisa out of this conflict. I unwillingly nodded as the girl smirked, while sending out a Pokémon. It was a pale green, sauropod-like Pokémon with yellow eyes. It had two stamen-like protrusions sprouting from the top of its nose, each tipped with its own anther. It had four feet, each of which had three toes. Large pink flower petals with a yellow central pattern and white tips encircled its neck.

[Meganium, the Herb Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Chikorita. Meganium's breath has the power to revive dead grass and plants. It can make them healthy again.]

"What's the matter, caring boy? Don't even know what a Meganium is?" I couldn't stand her taunts, but I knew I can't fall into her trap as it would affect my performance, so I ignored her taunt for the meantime.

"L-Lows..." Lisa said between sobs with a worried expression.

"Lisa, I'll be fine. Have faith in me, alright?" She wiped her tears before nodding.

 _Some of my Pokémon don't have enough energy after the last battle... I guess I'll choose..._

"Let's go, Woody!" I said, throwing Woody's Pokémon as he appeared in the battlefield. He had an oddly determined look on his face. He must'd heard the mean things said by that girl.

"I'll let you have the first move, caring boy." She sneered.

"Woody, let's go for Agility!" Woody nodded as he started to decrease his weight. As he dashed around the battlefield, I commanded, "Woody, use Leaf Blade!"

"Petals, use Reflect!" The Meganium created a barrier in front of her, and when Woody hit the Grass type, it didn't seem to do much damage.

 _Huh?_

"Reflect is the best move for physical attacks from your terrible Grovyle! Hahahaha..."

 _Looks like I can only use Giga Drain for now... Woody would need some healing as well, anyway._

"Woody, Giga Drain!" I commanded, as my Grass type started to release the seeds to his opponent.

"Petals, get them off with Petal Dance!" Petals suddenly spun around and released multiple petals. The petals collided with the seeds, making them fall onto the ground.

 _What a tactic..._

"Woody, Leaf Blade!" I said, knowing that there must be someway to damage that Meganium.

"Now's our chance! Petals, hit Woody back with Slam, then use Poison Powder!"

Petals used her huge body and slammed her opponent, hitting Woody onto the ground as she released the purple powder towards Woody. Woody struggled to get up as he inhaled the powder and started turning purple.

"Woody, are you okay?" Woody turned to me and nodded at me, but his expression wasn't the same as his answer. He started to pant hard as my concern only grew and grew.

"Aww... What's the matter? You're gonna faint to a little poison? Too weak for that? Honestly, I'm not surprised, you are just the same as your trainer!"

Woody's exhaustion turned into anger as he angrily dashed towards the Meganium. Just when I was concerned about him, he suddenly jumped at lightning speed and dived towards his opponent before giving Petals a powerful slash. Petals winced in pain at the impact, as I suddenly realized the Refelect barrier had just disappeared.

 _This move... I know it from before! It is... Aerial Ace!_

Woody came back to me before slightly wincing in pain from the poison. I knew I needed to end this fast.

"Petals, use Petal Dance!" The Meganium started spinning around and shot multiple petals towards Woody.

I found a counter for the attack as I commanded, "Woody, slice through the petals with Leaf Blade, then rush in with Aerial Ace!"

He quickly formed the sharp blade on his hand before slashing through the petals. The petals were cut into pieces as Woody dashed through the petals and rushed to Petals with lightning speed thanks to the Agility. Woody then jumped and dived towards the Meganium and before she knew it, she was slashed in the back by the Wood Gecko Pokémon. She winced in pain and started to pant, as I knew this battle was about to be over.

"Argh! Why won't you go down! Petals, use Slam!" Frustration came over her as she angrily commanded. The Meganium ran towards Woody as I asked, "Woody, ready for one last attack?" He nodded while trying to fight through the poison.

"Woody, dodge and and do a close-range Leaf Blade attack!" Woody waited until the Meganium was close enough, before strafing to the left and making her attack a miss. Before she could recover, he already formed the sharp leaf blade before slashing through the Meganium. The Meganium was pushed back from the impact before finally fell face first, much to my relieve.

Woody suddenly collapsed on the ground as I ran over to him and checked his condition. He gave me a weak smile as he said, "Just the poison affecting me... I'll be fine."

I tried to get the berries out of my backpack, until I realized, _Are you serious? I don't have any Full Heals or Pecha Berries! I must had used them back at the routes... The only Pecha Berry left is still growing in my Berry Pots... What do I do?_

Suddenly, a voice appeared behind me. It came from Lisa as she said, "Here... This should help you."

I looked at her and saw her holding a Pecha Berry on her hand. I gratefully took it as I let Woody ate the berry. After eating the berry, he seemed to be feeling much better as the purple color disappeared from him.

"I feel much better... Thanks, Lows."

"Actually, you should thank Lisa. She gave the berry to me." Woody heard my reply before looking at the girl and gratefully nodded.

Suddenly, the girl went towards me and pointed at me before saying, "You're just lucky this time! You better not let me see you again, before I crush you!" She returned her Meganium before leaving the place.

"I guess she really hates you now... I'm sorry, Lows." Lisa sadly said.

"No big deal, I could be worse if she continued bullying you! At least she's gone now. I guess I should go back to the PokéCentre and heal my Pokémon..." I said as I stood up and returned Woody.

As I was about to head towards the PokéCentre, Lisa suddenly said, "W-Wait! I'll come too."

"I'm okay with that... Let's go then." We walked into the PokéCentre and healed my Pokémon, who deserved it after the gym battle and the battle against the bully.

While we were waiting for the healing to be done, Lisa suddenly said, "L-Lows?"

"What is it, Lisa?"

"T-Thank you for saving me there. If you weren't there, she would..." She said as her eyes were filled with tears again, but she held back the tears.

"No problem! That's what friends do for each other. Anyways, who is that girl? She is very arrogant..." I grumbled.

"Erm... She is just..." She was hesitant to tell me who she was, just like last time back at New Bark Town...

I knew she needed to tell me what happened to feel better, but instead of questioning, I gave her a reassuring smile and said, "If you don't want to tell me, that's completely fine with me."

 _Maybe, she's just the type of person who hides her secrets... just like me._

She sat there for a few minutes without saying anything, appearing to be thinking about something. After that, she said, "Lows... If I tell you my story, would you keep it as a secret?"

"Definitely!" I replied, as she gave out a bitter smile as she said, "Alright, here goes nothing..."

She stopped for a few seconds, which I assumed was for her to rearrange the story. She then continued, "As you know, my hometown is at the Kanto region. Three years ago, I came to the Johto region to study at the Pokémon Academy about contests. However, I also met a girl named Taylor Rose at the school. She liked picking up arguments with me, and always bullied me with her gang at school. It's like... she wants me to suffer..."

I petted her shoulder and that seemed to calm her down a little. She took a deep breath as she said, "After we graduated a few months ago, I tried to stay in good terms with her but to no avail. A few weeks ago, she said she would be in good terms with me, only if... I surpassed her score in the Trainer Evaluation."

"And let me guess... That didn't end up well?"

"Yup. After that, she knew my score and called me to meet her here today. And... I guess you knew what happened next."

"That's terrible! You should stay away from arrogant people like that!" I said, angered by what Taylor Rose did.

"I-I just wanted to make more friends..." She suddenly sobbed, "It's just that... I don't have many friends here, and I would rather have a friend than an enemy... I just didn't know... she would hate me that much..."

My heart ached hearing her words. _L-Lisa... You are just like me..._

"Lisa... There are many other people that deserve to be your friends besides Taylor. You're a great person, and I'm sure she'll regret what she did one day."

"You... really think so?"

"Yeah, every word." I looked at her.

"T-Thanks for that, Lows. I really needed that." She said while smiling at me for the first time. She looked beautiful when she smiled. _I guess a smile makes a person look better..._

"I'm glad you're okay. What do you plan to do after the Trainer Evaluation?"

"I-I don't have any plans for now..." She replied. We then had an awkward moment of silence as we looked out the window.

 _She must have her own dreams and goals..._ I thought as I asked, "Lisa, do you have any goals you wanna achieve?"

"Actually... I have a dream. I want to become a great Pokémon Coordinator in the world. However, I haven't even participated in a single contest. I lack a lot of confidence..."

 _Her dream... It's a big one, alright. Maybe, she just need some help from others. Hmm, maybe I should..._

I made a decision as I asked, "Lisa?"

"What is it, Lows?"

"Would you... like to travel with me in the Johto region?" She was shocked upon hearing my offer.

"Why? I might hold you back in your journey..."

"I know you won't. Besides, didn't you say that you want to become a great coordinator? This is a good opportunity for you to participate in contests all over the region, and achieve your dream!" I encouraged her.

"That's true, I can participate in contests and such..." Her eyes sparkled upon thinking about it, but she was still slightly unsure, "Are you sure I won't hold you back?"

"You won't for sure! Besides, I would like to have a road guide, since I don't know anything about this region at all!" She chuckled at my joke.

"I guess I'll be your road guide then... Alright, I'll join you!" She happily said.

"You won't regret this choice, Lisa! I should be leaving this place tomorrow, are you sure you can pack up your things in time?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I can. I didn't bring many things with me, anyway."

"Cool! I'll meet you outside the PokéCentre tomorrow at 8a.m. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's completely fine! I'll see you tomorrow, Lows!"

"See you, Lisa!" I waved my hand as she eagerly ran out of the PokéCentre. I happily sighed: _It is always good to help someone out... I don't want the same thing that happened to me... happen to anyone else._

* * *

When I returned back to the room, I saw Sip already ready to leave with his belongings all packed up. I smiled as I asked, "You're done packing up?"

"Yeah, I am going leave soon. Thanks for being here with me in New Bark Town, Cherrygrove City and Violet City. I really enjoyed our times together."

"Same here, Sip. We'll still keep in touch, and maybe see each other again in Johto. Is that right?"

"Definitely! Let's meet again, and see how much we had improved!" We had a bro hug before he left with his backpack. I looked at him until he was out of sight.

 _Sip, good luck... I will see you soon!_

* * *

The next day came faster than I thought. I woke up at about 7am as I still remembered my promise with Lisa. I quickly washed up and packed up my things. After I was finished with the packing, there was still thirty minutes left before our meeting time.

 _Maybe, I should wait for her a little bit. Who knows, maybe she might arrive early too!_ I thought as I left the room and checked out. After that, I left the PokéCentre, only to see Lisa was already there with her belongings.

"Oh wow, hey Lisa. I didn't expect you to arrive that early." I said in amusement.

"Sorry! I was too excited about it, and I woke up earlier than usual! I don't see this as a bad thing, though."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good thing. Anyways, do you want to wait for a little bit or just go to the next city?"

"I can start going whenever you're ready!" Lisa smiled.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go, Lisa!" We gave each other a high-five before walking to our next destination together. However, I suddenly blacked out and heard Lisa's voice again...

 _"I can't wait to start my journey! He is really nice to invite me to be his travelling companion... I hope I can do well, so I won't make his efforts go down the drain..."_

After everything returned back to normal, I found Lisa looking at me, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm good... Did you say something a few seconds ago?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"N-Nothing, let's continue going." Lisa happily nodded as she took no notice of my expression and continued walking. I followed along as I thought, _This hasn't just happened once... I remember this kind of thing happened back at New Bark Town as well... It always happen at a certain situation..._

 _Wait... It can't be what I'm thinking, right?_

 _I... I can read people's minds?_

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of Taylor Rose?**

 **What had Lows experienced in the past?**

 **How do you think of Lisa being Lows' travelling companion?**

 **What are your opinions about Lows' new ability to read people's minds?**


	8. Johto 7

**Lows searched for the source of the crying and found the female trainer, Lisa Karame getting bullied by a trainer named Taylor Rose. Triggering the memories from the past, Lows stood up for Lisa and managed to get the bully out of the scene. After listening to Lisa's ambition to become a great Pokémon Coordinator, Lows suggested that she should be his travelling companion, which she gladly accepted. Lows also found out that he had a new ability: reading other people's minds in certain situation, and wondered what he could do with it. Along the way to Azalea Town, he found a trainer who he knew from before, as the trainer demanded for another friendly battle. Who is this trainer and what is going to happen between them?**

 **Chapter 7 - The First Rivalry**

As Lisa and I walked further away from Violet City, I was distracted by my own thoughts.

 _I-I can read people's minds? H-How did I develop this ability? Like, how, when, why? This discovery is so sudden, I just can't help but to be shocked! Will this be a good thing for my journey, or a bad thing?_

Suddenly, I heard Lisa calling me, "Lows? You seem to be wandering off. Anything on your head?"

"N-Not really..." I nervously answered.

"Hmm, is that so? Alright then. Also, we are at our next destination."

"Oh, we reached Route 32 already?" I asked. Lisa told me that there was a place called the Ruins of Alph, which was something that I wasn't quite interested of. Therefore, I asked Lisa if there was a faster way to get to our next destination. She apparently knew a faster way: go through Route 32, explore through Union Cave and reach at Route 33, which was the route that led to Azalea Town.

And if you are wondering, why am I not interested of the Ruins of Alph? Well, Lisa told me that something in there was related to Legendary Pokémon. Legendary Pokémon was one of the certain reasons why I dawdled with Team Will back in Hoenn.

 _I really don't want to be a hero, I just want to be a normal trainer... Who knows, maybe another villain team may be on the search of these Legendary Pokémon... Honestly, during the journey in Hoenn, dealing with those people was already tiring, and it almost took my life. If I can, I would rather not mess with any villain teams anymore..._

Little did I know, what I hoped for would not exactly be the same in reality...

However, I will talk about that part when the time comes.

Back to Route 32, it was not a bad trip to say the least. My Pokémon were with me in the walk, and they had some bonding time with Lisa's Pokémon along the way.

"Wow, you all surely had a lot of great experience in your journey!" Suiryoku exclaimed upon hearing Surfer, Ziggs and Power talk about their journey in Hoenn.

"Well, not everything is great, but most of them are! I'm sure you'll get a lot of these experience in this journey, too!" Surfer said.

"I hope I can evolve like you all! Evolving seems like a good way to become stronger!" Suiryoku happily said.

"You'll definitely evolve, but don't put yourself too hard. That's what Lows want us to do back in Hoenn. Anyways, we all believe that you can do this!" Suiryoku happily danced around upon hearing Ziggs' encouragement.

"Looks like they're having a fun time." I told Lisa.

"Yeah, they sure do get along well. Suiryoku is very friendly towards other Pokémon, even Pokémon he just met. He is an energetic Pokémon, and he is always happy even when being called into a battle! He always dance around in happiness when he is very happy." Lisa smiled.

"How did you get Suiryoku as your Pokémon?" I asked.

"Good question! Suiryoku is my first Pokémon. I first obtained him as an egg from my father. I waited for the long time for it to hatch, and along the entire process, the egg became restless. I was very worried about him, but seeing him now... I'm happy." Her smiled became wider as she talked about her past.

"I'm sure he's happy to have a trainer like you too." I said.

"T-Thanks, Lows. I hope that he really thinks that way." She replied.

"I'm sure he does..." I smiled while I continued hearing their conversation.

"How do you think of your trainer?" Power asked.

"She is the best trainer you can possibly ask for! I will follow her forever wherever she goes!" Suiryoku happily exclaimed.

"That's what I think about my trainer too!" Surfer smiled.

"See, Lisa? I told you he's happy." I smiled. She was also listening their conversation through the new Pokémon translation application.

"I guess you're right..." She smiled while looking at her joyful Pokémon. Hibana went to her as Lisa gently hugged her with her arms, which made both of them happy. I was happy for the two's bond, but I was curious about one certain Pokémon.

"Hibana and Suiryoku surely likes you a lot... But what about Bureiku?" I asked her about her Zorua.

"Well... He is very proud and considers himself strong. He doesn't like to interact with others as much, even I took a long time to understand him. He would only trust others if they are really treating him like true friends. He's also very playful and mischievous, often using its illusion abilities to shapeshift into others for fun and trick the others." She explained.

"Oh... Is that so?" I said while thinking about Ziggs. He was also playful at times, but he was slowly trying to stop his doings.

"He doesn't talk to me that much, but he very trusts me. He would go all lengths for who he considers as true friends, including me and the team. Maybe when the time comes, he would trust you all too."

I nodded at her response as we continued walking along the route. After quite some time, we saw a PokéCentre in front of us.

"That must be it!" She happily exclaimed, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the PokéCentre that is close to Union Cave, which leads us closer to Azalea Town! Let's go and rest up a bit, Lows."

After returning our Pokémon for them to be healed at the PokéCentre, she eagerly ran towards the PokéCentre, but she accidentally bumped into a boy and fell onto the ground. The boy recovered and quickly apologised, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

We also went towards them to check Lisa's condition. She seemed to be fine, but she had a flustered look on her face as she said, embarrassed, "I-I'm fine. It's actually my fault for not looking the way... I'm sorry."

"No big deal, I guess!" He suddenly looked at me curiously. He was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue T-shirt and yellow shorts.

He suddenly realised something as he exclaimed, "Oh, I remember now! You are the trainer who battled me!"

I was confused by what he meant, until he reminded me, "The Trainer Evaluation, remember?"

"O-Oh, it's you! Glad to meet you again. You did well in the battle. Anyways, my name is Lows Landerson." I shook hands with him.

"You did great, too! My name is Jeverson Lukas, if you didn't know yet. What brings you here?"

"My partner and I were about to go to the PokéCentre and rest up before going into Union Cave. What about you?" I asked.

"Well, almost the same thing! I just finished resting up, and I was about to start exploring Union Cave. Anyways, about the Trainee Evaluation... What's your final score? I'm sure you did well." Jeverson asked.

"Could be worse, but it's fine." I said as I handed him the certificate from my backpack. He also gave me his certificate, and we both checked each other's scores.

 **Jeverson Lukas**

 **Knowledge: 3/5**

 **Strategy: 3/5**

 **Care: 3.5/5**

 **Skill: 2.5/5**

 **Overall: 3/5**

After looking at his score, I gave him back the certificate. He finished looking at my score as he exclaimed, "Wow, you did really well at the Care test!"

"It was a hard time taking that test, my heart was racing at that time..." I said, not wanting to think about what happened back there.

"My score is average, but I'd say I did quite well as a new trainer. I just got my Pokémon a few weeks ago, after all."

"Wow, then your score is quite well as a trainer starting off! You did great." I complimented him.

"Thanks! The Skill evaluation affected my journey a lot. It made me think of which starter Pokémon I should choose, and I decided to choose Cyndaquil again, because I grew a liking to that Pokémon after the evaluation."

"That's cool! Does he have a name?" I asked.

"Yeah, he does. However, I won't tell you just yet."

"Why not?"

"It's because... I want you to know his name when we battle!" He suddenly took out his Pokéball as he requested, "I would like to have a friendly one on one battle with you, Lows Landerson!"

"Hmm, that is sudden... But I think I'm in the mood for a battle." I said as I took out a Pokéball, "I accept your challenge!"

Knowing that we were going to battle, Lisa said, "I guess I won't interrupt you two, Lows. I'll go to the PokéCentre and rest up first."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll see you there after I'm done!" She nodded at my response as she headed towards the PokéCentre.

"Alright then! Let's battle, Sun!" He threw his Pokéball, as a Pokémon that looked different compared Cyndaquil appeared in the battlefield. Sun was a slim quadruped Pokémon. The top half of his body was blue, while the lower half was cream. He possessed a rounded nose and red eyes. There was also flames coming from his forehead and rear.

[Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Cyndaquil. This Pokémon is fully covered by nonflammable fur. It can withstand any kind of fire attack.]

"Oh yeah, not to mention that he evolved in the Violet Gym battle..." He smiled.

I threw my Pokéball as well, yelling, "Go for it, Ziggs!"

Ziggs appeared in the battlefield, examining his opponent as Jeverson commanded, "Sun, use Smokescreen!"

The Quilava suddenly released a thick black smoke from his mouth. The smoke surrounded us as we couldn't see where the Quilava went.

Suddenly, the boy's voice appeared again, "Good job, Sun! Rush into the smoke and use Flame Wheel!"

Out of nowhere, Sun suddenly came into the smoke and ran towards Ziggs. Then, he tackled my Normal type with his body that was engulfed in flames.

 _He's doing surprising well compared to last time..._ I thought as I knew I needed to make a comeback.

"Ziggs, Dig yourself away from the smoke, then attack Sun!" Obeying my command, he dug a hole and dived into the ground, keeping himself away from the smoke. After a while, the smoke finally dissipated and I was able to see the Quilava that was running around the battlefield.

"Now! Ziggs, listen to his footsteps and attack!" The Quilava slowed down his pace upon hearing my command to stop Ziggs from listening to his footsteps. However, Ziggs was already aiming on him as he came out of the ground and attacked the unawared Fire type. Ziggs then quickly ran back to his side of the battlefield.

"Sun, use Quick Attack, then use Ember!" Sun suddenly dashed at lightning speed towards my Linoone as he hit him. Before Ziggs could recover, the fire that came out of Sun's mouth already engulfed Ziggs as he winced in pain.

 _This isn't good... Quick Attack catches Ziggs off guard and unable to avoid the next attack. I'll have to find another way to counter it..._

"Sun, do it again!" Jeverson commanded as he saw that the tactic was working quite well.

"Ziggs, I got it! Counter his Quick Attack with Iron Tail!" Ziggs started to charge for the attack as his tail glowed silver, and when the right time came, he swung his tail directly towards the dashing Sun, hitting the Quilava back as he fell onto the ground.

As Sun was trying to get back up, I found the opportunity and commanded, "Ziggs, use Facade!"

Ziggs was surrounded by an orange aura, as he charged at the Quilava who was still trying to recover. Ziggs attacked Sun as Sun was pushed back to his side again.

"Sun, don't give up! Flame Wheel!" Jeverson commanded.

"Ziggs, counter with Iron Tail!"

Sun's body was engulfed in flames as he rushed towards Ziggs, but thanks to Ziggs' speed, he already charged up the attack as he hit the Fire type with his glowing tail. Unable to withstand the impact, Sun was pushed back once again before collapsing.

"That's okay, Sun! You did well." He said as he returned his Quilava. I also praised Ziggs for his efforts before returning him, "That's some nice work, Ziggs. Take a rest!"

"Thanks! It feels good to finally able to perform well after a long time." I smiled upon hearing his words as I returned him. Jeverson then looked at me and exclaimed, "You're still the strong trainer I battled at the Trainer Evaluation!"

"Thanks! You and Sun make a great team too. I believe with more experience, you all will do much better." I complimented.

"I believe I can get better too! The next time we battle, I'll definitely do my best!"

"I'm looking forward to it!" I chuckled.

"You really helped me a lot to learn about battling! I gained more experience through the two battles. I think I'm considering you as a rival!" He grinned.

"I'll accept this friendly rivalry, I guess... It can make both of us improve! Let's see who's better in the future!"

We laughed as we shook hands again. I knew that he would be a great and friendly rival to me after hearing his thought...

 _"I'll definitely be a worthy rival for you, Lows Landerson!"_

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How will Lows' ability affect his journey?**

 **How do you think of Jeverson Lukas?**

 **How will the friendly rivalry affect the two trainers?  
**


	9. Johto 8

**On the way to Union Cave, Lows met the trainer that battled him during the Trainer Evaluation. Their chat eventually escalated to a friendly battle. After the friendly battle, Jeverson Lukas would like to have a friendly rivalry with Lows, which he gladly accepted. After the event, Lows and Lisa will try their best to go through Union Cave in order to reach their next destination: Azalea Town.**

 **P/S: I've created another poll! This poll asks about your opinions on which** **Pokémon Lows would get? Be sure to leave your opinions by voting on the poll!  
**

 **Chapter 8 - Reaching the Town**

After the battle with Jeverson, I went back to the PokéCentre as I healed my Pokémon and met up with Lisa. We rested for about thirty minutes before leaving the PokéCentre and headed for Union Cave.

Standing in front of the Union Cave entrance, I asked, "Lisa, do you have a flashlight?"

"N-Not really... Oh no, that's not going to be good..." Lisa replied.

"Don't worry! Here you go..." I said as I handed her a flashlight and took out another one from my backpack for myself, "I brought an extra flashlight, just in case a flashlight is used up! I guess my decision is right."

"Thanks, Lows!" Lisa gratefully accepted the flashlight. Once we were ready to go, we walked into the pitch black cave.

"I think we should stick together as a pair. I'll walk in front and you follow." I said as we started moving with our flashlights on. However, even with the light source, I was still having some troubles to find the right way to go.

"Do we go left... or right?"

"Ah, great! Wrong way again..."

"Wow, the paths are so complicated..."

Oh yeah, did I mention that I was bad at puzzles and mazes?

I guess you know now...

Anyways, I was starting to get frustrated. I knew Lisa was getting tired too as I apologized, "I'm sorry, I can't find the right way, and that took us a lot of time..."

"It's okay... I might do worse than you if I'm leading the way." Lisa said.

"Well, I do hope we can get out of this place soon..." I muttered, as we continued looking for the right path to go, something unpleasant happened...

Our flashlights were suddenly unable to function, as Lisa screamed, "Lows! It's dark here... I can't see you!"

Although I was scared, I said, "Calm down! Hopefully, this thing will work again!"

After some testing with the flashlight, the light finally reappeared from the flashlight, making me slightly relieved.

"That was weird. Both flashlights going off at the same time? Creepy. Lisa, let's just keep going-" I then realised Lisa was nowhere near me, making me scared again.

"Lisa?! Where are you?" I screamed as the echos appeared in the cave. I didn't really care at that point, I knew I had to find Lisa. I searched around the cave, hoping to find the girl.

 _Come on... Where is she?_

Suddenly, I bumped into something as I turned to another direction. I turned my flashlight to that direction to check what did I bump into, and it was none other than...

"Lisa! I'm so worried about you!" I said.

"L-Lows!" She said in fear as she went ahead and suddenly hugged me. I was surprised by her sudden move, but I knew she needed the comfort. I petted her back, slightly calming her down.

After she recovered from the incident, she realised she was still hugging me as she quickly let go of me. She said, sounding flustered, "I-I'm sorry about that..."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're fine. Now, let's stick together until we get through this cave."

"I'm not sure if I can keep track with you... My flashlight still isn't working." Lisa said, worried.

"Alright, I have a way, I just hope you don't mind..." I said as I held her right hand, "That way, we won't seperate again. Is that okay with you?"

"I-It's okay to me... Let's go, Lows." She still sounded slightly flustered, but I didn't mind as we continued trying to get out of this cave.

I still had trouble finding the right ways to get out of this dreading place, but I tried my best to get out of this cave. I knew we were both tired, and wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. However, my efforts didn't bring out the best results, as we made little progress getting out of the cave. I felt like we were running in circles...

"L-Lows, are you sure we're going to be okay?" Lisa said, I could tell that she was scared.

"It's okay... Calm down!" I tried to comfort her, but I was slowly losing hope as well.

 _W-Why can't we get out of this place?_

I was starting to get frustrated, until I hear a Pokémon's cry.

"Did you hear that, Lisa?" I asked as I pointed my flashlight towards the direction. I saw a yellow, spherical Pokémon similar to a bell. It had stubby arms and legs, as well as beady, black eyes. On either side of its mouth was a large, black spot.

[Chingling, the Bell Pokémon.

It emits high-frequency cries that people can't hear. Once it starts, it can cry for an awfully long time.]

 _That's weird, I thought I heard its cry just a few seconds ago..._

Suddenly, the Chingling somehow made my Pokédex levitate with its psychic powers, startling me. It then levitated away from us.

"What was that for?" I was confused by its actions, but I knew I had to get my Pokédex back. I went towards the Pokémon's direction, but it was moving very fast. I tried my best to keep track to follow the Chingling. After a while, I suddenly realized...

"Wait... Do you see light, Lisa?" I said while pointing at a direction using my flashlight.

"Not to mention it... I think I do see light!" She happily exclaimed.

"That means..." We got closer to the light as it became brighter and brighter. After getting close enough, we finally found the exit of the cave that we really needed after all the efforts and time.

"Finally..." I said in relieve as we got out of the cave. I took a deep breath as I thought, _Finally, fresh air!_

However, I snapped away from my "fresh air" thoughts after I realized I was still holding her hand. I immediately let it go as I apologised, "Lisa, I'm sorry! Are you hurt?" I asked, worried that I might had hurt her while grabbing her hand. I was trying to retrieve my Pokédex, after all.

She had a flustered look on her face as she replied, "No, you didn't... It's okay, I didn't really mind."

Looking at her expression, I was still worried as I thought, _Did I do something wrong? She said she is fine with me holding her hand, but I hope what she said is what she actually thinks..._

Although I was curious, I still didn't forget about my Pokédex. I went and searched for the Chingling, and found it standing right in front of me, giggling. I took the Pokédex as the Chingling gladly gave it to me. I was curious of its actions until...

"Oh, you did that on purpose so we can get out of here!" Lisa exclaimed as she said, "Thanks, Chingling." She petted the Chingling, making him very happy.

"Finally, someone knows my motive! I guess my efforts did get recognized in the end." The Chingling said with his male voice.

"Well, thanks for that. I guess.. we have to leave now. Thanks again, Chingling."

The Chingling had a sad expression upon hearing our words, "Aww... You're leaving already? I wish we can play for a little longer..."

I looked at the Chingling, as an idea suddenly popped out of my mind...

"Lisa, would you mind catching him? I can tell he really likes you." I asked.

"Really? I wouldn't mind... I like him a lot too. But why don't you want to catch him instead?"

"I have a full team, remember? I'm happy enough with them." I said with a grin.

"Alright then. Chingling, do you want to come with me?" She asked, as the Chingling happily nodded.

"Thanks, Lows. Can you give him a nickname? I know you could come up with a good one." She asked.

"Hmm... What about Chime? Chime the Chingling." I suggested.

"It's different compared to my other Pokémon's nicknames... But I'm okay with it. Let's do our best, Chime!" She threw a Pokéball as the Chingling happily let himself get caught. The Pokéball caught the Pokémon successfully as Lisa happily put the Pokéball into her belt.

 _I'm sure she and Chime are happy... I'm glad I gave her that suggestion._

* * *

After that, we continued our journey to our destination. On the way there, I started a conversation between us.

"Anyways... How's Union Cave?" I asked.

"I really hate that it's dark in there... I don't like to be in dark places. At least, my biggest fear didn't come back to haunt me." She replied.

"I guess that's a good thing..." I said while being curious about her biggest fear that she was talking about. However, I knew she might feel bothered if I asked her.

 _Maybe another time..._

After what seemed like forever, we finally saw buildings ahead of us. I sighed in relieve as I thought, _Finally, we're here..._

We saw a well to our right on the way to Azalea Town. I curiously asked, "What is that?"

"Oh, it's the Slowpoke Well. It is one of the notable places in Azalea Town. Well, hearing the name, you should know that many Slowpoke live in the place."

"Oh, that's cool! Maybe, we should check it out..."

"I don't recommend you to go there. The Slowpoke there might be startled if we go down there. I also heard that if you're not careful enough, you might just take a huge fall and injure yourself." Lisa explained.

"That's right, young girl! Especially about that 'taking a huge fall and injure yourself' part. You don't want to be like me!" We were startled by the strange voice as we saw an old man in front of us.

He examined us as he asked with a stern look on his face, "I don't see you two around here before... What are you two doing here?!"

"Hello, sir! I'm Lows, and she is Lisa. We're just trainers trying to explore through the Johto region." I explained politely.

"Hmm... You two don't seem to be bad thugs. I apologize for my behavior. It's just that after the incident in Slowpoke Well, I'll have to make sure no one causes trouble there again. That's also why I'm currently patrolling the town to see if there's any suspicious people. Anyways, my name is Kurt." He introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," I greeted, "you said that there was an incident in Slowpoke Well? What's up with that?"

"Hmm... I guess I can tell you two. Follow me back to my house, and I'll explain the story. I just hope that no sneaky person will go there..." We nodded as we followed Kurt into Azalea Town. His house was located in the northwest corner of the town.

We walked into the house as I looked around the house. There was a table with some objects that apparently were called apricorns according to Lisa, laying around the table. I also saw something similar to a Pokéball there. There were also tools such as hammers and screwdrivers.

 _Interesting..._

Suddenly, I saw a young girl running around the house as she exclaimed, "Grandpa, you're back! You came back earlier compared to the past few days!"

"I'll be patrolling the place again later, Maizie. Anyways, behave yourself while you are alone, alright?" The young girl nodded at her grandfather's words.

"Here, take a seat!" Kurt told us as we sat on the chairs provided at his house. He then said, "After ensuring that the Slowpoke Well is safe again, I'll have to get back to work again. I make Pokéballs with apricorns, and it's been great even after many years!"

"That's awesome! It's a really good job, especially that it helps all the trainers!" I exclaimed.

"Well, you got that right." He chuckled, "Anyways, that's not the point. I'm here to tell you the story. Here's how it started...

The residents at Azalea Town were living peacefully as usual, until I heard that there was something bad going on at Slowpoke Well. It turned out that a villain team was cutting Slowpoke's tails to pamper their greed! Old Kurt couldn't stay still after hearing their bad doings, so I ran to the Slowpoke Well, wanting to stop them. It was then I took a huge fall... Just like what you're friend said!" Kurt said while pointing at Lisa. I chuckled, but I also thought, _Is the villain team doing something else other than cutting Slowpoketails? Sure, it makes them huge profit, but it's kinda worthless... There's much more ways they can make money other than hurting the Pokémon here._

He continued, "It was until two trainers came! They were really kind and helpful. After they heard what was happening in Slowpoke Well and my condition, one of them helped me out, while the other gave chase to the villain team.

Well, with the trainer's efforts, she was able to stop the villain team to ruin the beauty of Slowpoke Well!" He ended with a huge grin.

"Wow, that's amazing! That trainer really helped out the town a lot." I was amused by what the trainer did.

"It sure is! If the two trainers weren't there, I would be still in the well!" He chuckled, "Anyways, after hearing this story, I hope you two could be like those trainers as well, and never be like those people who hurts Pokémon for their own good!"

We nodded at his advice as I asked, "Where are the two trainers now?"

"I think they just left. They were trainers travelling around the region, after all."

"Aww..." I said. _It would be nice to meet those heroes..._

"Alright! Now that story time is over, I'll be patrolling the place again. You never want to shriek your work if that action might cause big trouble!" He said.

"Thanks, Kurt! I hope your work goes fine." I said as Lisa also thanked Kurt with a bow as we left the house. Kurt also followed along us and went back to patrolling.

"Lisa, do you want to rest up at the PokéCentre for the rest of the day? It is quite a tiring day, after all." I suggested.

"That would be nice... I guess we can do that." Lisa replied. We went ahead and got ourselves two rooms and went to our own rooms before getting dinner at the PokéCentre.

Lisa and I shared a table as I asked, "What are you planning to do in Azalea Town?"

"Me? I-I don't know. There's not many things to do here besides relaxing. I heard that in the next city we're visiting, there will be contests! I can't wait to participate in them." She exclaimed.

"That's cool! You can finally start doing what you like to do." I said as I thought, _Maybe I should battle the gym leader as soon as possible... Lisa really deserve to prove that she could be a good player in contests!_

After that, we had a great meal before going back to our rooms to relax for the rest of the day. I was especially happy with the dinner that day because...

 _Yay, today's dinner is ramen noodles! My favourite! Woo-hoo!_

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of Lisa's new addition to the team?**

 **How will Lows do against Bugsy?  
**


	10. Johto 9

**The Union Cave was terrifying for Lows and Lisa. Just when they were stuck in the cave, a Chingling appeared and helped the two out. Happy with the Chingling's help, Lisa caught him and Lows named him Chime. Upon reaching Azalea Town, they heard from Kurt about the incident that happened in Slowpoke Well, and were greatly impressed by what the trainers did. Lows wanted to battle the second gym leader as soon as possible so that they can reach Goldenrod City, where Lisa can finally participate in contests. Will he win against the Bug type specialist?**

 **Chapter 9 - The Phobia Strikes Back**

I didn't waste much time relaxing in the town after hearing from Lisa that our next destination, Goldenrod City was the place she can start participating in contests. That was the main reason why she was traveling with me, after all: To make her dream come true.

The next day after we reached Azalea Town, I was already searching for information about the Azalea Gym Leader.

"According to what the Gym Leader Guide said... The gym leader we'll be facing is called Bugsy, he specializes in... Bug type Pokémon?!" I was shocked when I saw the typing. I had a phobia of Bug type Pokémon ever since that incident happened. I'm slowly recovering from it, but I was still scared of them, especially big ones...

 _Okay, Lows... You need to calm down!_

"It's alright, Lows! We know you're scared of Bug types, but we'll be with you this time." Surfer comforted me.

"I know... Thanks." I recovered from the shock as I continued, "Now, this is going to be a hard choice..."

"Why is that, Lows?" Power asked, worried.

"Non of our team has the type advantage against Bug types. Besides, Grace, Shadow and Woody have the type disadvantage against them."

"Looks like the situation isn't too hot..." Surfer said.

"I guess it will be Surfer, Ziggs and Power going for the gym battle this time. Is that okay for you all?" They all nodded as we immediately started the training before the gym battle. Practice makes perfect, after all.

* * *

Ziggs and Grace were having a practice battle as part of the training session. However, it wasn't looking too great for the Normal type as Ziggs got taken down after four attacks.

"Ziggs, are you okay?" Grace went and checked on Ziggs.

"I-I'm good. You shouldn't be too close with me, though." Ziggs replied.

"Why is that?"

"Woody would become upset if he sees that..." Ziggs lightly chuckled as Grace lightly hit the naive Normal type with slight red on her face.

"Put your jokes aside, are you sure you're okay?"

"To be honest, I don't know..." Ziggs said, "I get tired easier than usual in this battle, I don't know why..."

"Maybe you overworked yourself? I had this kind of experience before." Grace said.

"That might be the reason... But Grace, we have to work hard! The gym battle is in two days, yet I couldn't battle well today..."

"Working hard is good, but if you overwork yourself, it might bring negative effects to you."

"I don't know, Grace... I'm afraid that I can't do well in the gym battle." Ziggs said.

"Don't ever feel stressful about a battle. If you feel stressed about it, maybe you should consider not battling for this time."

"Maybe I should... Grace, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you replace me for the gym battle?" Ziggs requested.

"Why is that, Ziggs?"

"I believe you can do better than me for the battle, despite having the type disadvantage. You have different types of moves that can back you up, after all. Can you help me?" Ziggs asked.

"Hmm... I think I can do that, but let's ask Lows for permission first. He's our trainer, after all." Grace replied.

"Yeah, let's do that." The two went towards their trainer and told him about the situation.

* * *

"So... You want to step back for this battle and let Grace battle instead?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's okay with it. I don't think my condition would be suitable for a battle right now." Ziggs explained.

"Hmm... I guess that's fine. Grace, do your best, alright?"

"Yeah, I will. Ziggs, rest up, the next gym battle goes to you!" Grace said.

"Sure thing, Grace! You'll see me back on track again!" Ziggs said as we laughed. _Hopefully, this switch would bring some good effects in the battle..._

* * *

After the switch and the non-stop training, it was time to battle once again. I knew it wasn't just skill that mattered to win this battle, it's also that I must put away my fears and focus on the battle instead.

 _You aren't gonna touch the Bug types or anything... It will be okay..._

Lisa said that she had something else to do, so she wasn't going to watch me battle for this time. At least I still had my other three Pokémon to support me.

 _Conquer your fear, and let's go!_ I thought in determination as I walked into the battlefield. The gym leader, Bugsy was a teenage boy with purple hair and eyes. He was wearing green shorts, suspended by a belt and brown shoes.

"I'm Bugsy, the gym leader of Azalea Town. I did a lot of research about Bug type Pokémon, and I can call myself a Bug type master! I look forward to our battle."

 _I don't know what to say... Whatever his Pokémon is, it will definitely scare the heck out of me, isn't it?!_

The referee took no notice of my expression as he walked in the middle of the battlefield and started talking. I wasn't focused on what he said, but at least I knew that this was a three on three singles format, and the usual rules applied in this battle.

"Do you understand and agree to the rules, Lows Landerson from Pallet Town?" The referee asked. However, my heart wasn't with his question.

"Lows Landerson from Pallet Town, do you understand and agree to the rules?" He slightly raised his voice up and that caught my attention. I immediately replied, "Y-Yes, I do!"

"Alright then! The battle between the gym leader, Bugsy and the challenger, Lows Landerson will now begin! Trainers, please choose your first Pokémon!"

"L-Let's go, Surfer." I nervously said as I threw my first Pokéball.

Surfer looked at me and knowing me well, he asked, "Are you nervous, Lows?"

"M-Maybe." I replied.

"Come on, Lows! I can take them out for you, no worries! We can do this as a team." He comforted me.

"A-Alright, I'll do my best." I said as I took another deep breath, and as I paid my attention to my opponent, he already sent out his first Pokémon. By the looks of the Pokémon, I could tell it was a Beedrill. I slightly shivered after looking at the Beedrill as the referee said, "The battle between Surfer and Vespa will now begin!"

"Surfer... Iron Defense!" I said, trying to make the usual strategy work again.

"Vespa, Pin Missile!" The Beedrill's stingers glowed white as they shot multiple small, white needles towards my starter.

"Surfer, counter with Ice Beam!" Surfer immediately readied himself as he released the attack from his mouth. The ice beam somehow hit the needles and stopped the attack.

"Not bad, but it's too early to give up! Poison Jab!" Vespa started charging towards my Water type as I commanded, "Hit Vespa with Aqua Tail!"

As Surfer's tail was surrounded by a spiral of water, Surfer swung his tail around the Beedrill, however, Vespa suddenly disappeared, leaving us confused. After a few seconds, the Bug and Poison type appeared again in front of our eyes, and appeared to be closer than Surfer as her stingers glowed purple and jabbed my starter. My starter was able to withstand the attack, but that definitely damaged him.

"Agility worked at the final moment, perfect timing too!" He clenched his fist as he commanded, "Vespa, continue the attack!"

The Beedrill continued jabbing my starter, while I knew something had to be done to stop her attack.

 _We have to fight back!_

"Surfer, fling her with your tail!" Despite being in pain, he swung his tail as it grabbed the attacking Vespa. After that, he used his tail and tossed her away at full strength as the Beedrill crashed against the wall.

"Ice Beam!" I commanded as my Water type formed the attack as he released the ice beam from his mouth, hitting the Beedrill who was trying to recover.

"Looks like Vespa is getting low. Vespa, take the risk and use Poisom Jab!"

 _Oh, no you don't!_ I was going to issue the command, but I suddenly locked eyes with the Beedrill and was scared by her looks. I panicked and said nothing as the Beedrill jabbed my starter with her stinger. Unfortunately, the results were fruitful for them, as Surfer's body started turning purple, showing signs of poison.

"Surfer, are you okay?" I asked, feeling bad about my actions.

Surfer uncomfortably nodded, "I can still battle, but I'm not feeling too hot..."

"I believe in you! Surfer, use Aqua Tail!"

Surfer nodded as his tail spun around and hit its target. The Beedrill crashed towards the ground as I commanded, "Surf!"

"Vespa, Pin Missile!"

As the waves were formed and were about to crash the Beedrill, the needles were released from her stingers as they were shot towards my starter. The attack worked, but Surfer was also hit by the needles as he lost control of the attack and fell into the water. After the water was all dried up, Surfer tried to stand, but the poison dealt the last bit of damage and finished him off. Vespa on the other hand, had already collapsed.

"Surfer and Vespa are both unable to battle! This battle is a draw! Please choose your next Pokémon!" The referee announced as I thanked Surfer and returned him. After that, I took out my second Pokéball and threw it.

"Let's get it, Power!" My fighting type appeared from the Pokéball as he examined his new opponent, who was a bipedal, beetle-like Pokémon covered in a blue exoskeleton. There was a long, pronged horn on his forehead. The horn ended in a cross. Its forearms had a pair of spikes near the wrists, while its thighs had a single spike each.

[Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. It is usually docile, but if it is disturbed while sipping honey, it chases off the intruder with its horn.]

 _At least, it doesn't look as scary as Beedrill..._ I thought as the referee announced, "The battle between Kabushi and Power will now begin!"

"Power, Rock Tomb!" I said, trying to get the advantage.

"Kabushi, use Brick Break and break the boulders!" His horn glowed white as he used it to smash agains the boulders. One by one, the boulders broke into pieces.

"Power, use Submission!" Power rushed towards the opponent, only for its trainer to grin and command, "Kabushi, Counter!"

The Heracross was suddenly outlined in orange. As Power tried to grab the Heracross in full strength, he got bounced back as he was sent flying and fell onto the ground. I gritted my teeth as I commanded, "Seismic Toss!"

My Machoke didn't take long to grab the Heracross as he jumped up and spun around before throwing it towards the ground, dealing some damage to the Bug and Fighting type.

However, Bugsy's smile grew wider as he said, "Kabushi, Reversal!"

Kabushi was surrounded by dark blue orbs, as he rushed towards my Fighting type and attacked him. I gasped at how powerful the attack was as Power was knocked back. The Heracross gave us an intimating and scary look, making me panicked again.

"Kabushi, finish him with Brick Break." Bugsy commanded as the Heracross started charging towards my tired Machoke.

After recovering, I knew that he needed to land at least a hit, I shouted, "Power, use Seismic Toss, but grab his horn!"

Despite knowing that it wouldn't be an easy task, he nodded as he grabbed the Heracross' horn, trying to take control of it.

"Changing plan! Kabushi, Megahorn!"

Kabushi's horn glowed white once again, as he rammed Power with his horn. Power winced in pain as he was forced to let go of the Heracross as both of them fell onto the ground. The Heracross stood back up but Power on the other hand, couldn't stand up as he closed his eyes.

"Power is unable to battle! Kabushi wins!"

I went towards Power as I thanks him, and after returning him, I stood still, thinking about what went wrong. After a while, I closed my eyes.

 _I think I know what's wrong now._

 _It's my fear._

 _Everytime they showed me a fierce look, I got intimated by them and messed up my performance._

I sighed.

 _If I have to win this battle..._

 _I have to set my fear aside._

 _I know I couldn't get past my fear yet, but for this battle, I have to do this battle just like any other ones._

 _I won't lose!_

I opened my eyes as I took out my last Pokéball, and threw it without any hesitation.

"Grace, let's do this!" I yelled as my Psychic type appeared in the battlefield, examining his opponent. From her expression, I knew she wanted to win too.

"The battle between Grace and Kabushi will now begin!"

"Grace, Calm Mind!" Grace started to glow brightly as she used the move. I knew her attack needed to be stronger than the Heracross' in order to win this battle.

"Kabushi, Megahorn!" Bugsy said, knowing that they needed to stop the charge up.

 _Now!_

"Grace, control him with Psychic!" Her eyes started to glow light blue, focusing her power on the Heracross. After a while, Kabushi became surrounded by light blue.

"Throw him away from you!" Grace then controlled her powers as she hurled Kabushi towards the wall, causing him to crash against the wall. Thanks to Power's previous attacks, the Heracross panted before collapsing. However, I saw Grace getting slightly tired from the amount of psychic powers used to defeat Kabushi.

"Kabushi is unable to battle! Grace wins!"

 _This is where it all ends!_ I thought as Bugsy returned his Heracross and sent out a Scyther, a Pokémon that originated from Kanto, my hometown.

"The battle between Grace and Manto will now begin!"

"Grace, Calm Mind!"

"Manto, Swords Dance!"

As the two Pokémon increased their powers, I didn't take a long time before commanding, "Grace, Shadow Ball!"

"Manto, counter with Air Slash!"

As the shadow blob was released, the Scyther formed a ball of wind from his wings and sent the attack. The two attacks collided as they disappeared.

"Grace, Psychic!"

"Not on my watch! Manto, Brick Break!"

As my Gardevoir released the waves of light blue energy towards the Scyther, he dashed through the attack at a fast pace as his claws glowed white and attacked my Gardevoir.

"That must've taken a toll for her, isn't it?" Bugsy grinned as I knew that he learned the fact that Grace wasn't good at taking physical attacks. However, I clenched my fist as I thought, _Not yet, not yet..._

 _This attack, must be a one shot takedown!_

"Grace, Calm Mind!" Grace's attack increased once again as her body glowed white brightly.

"Again? That just gives us the opportunity to attack. Manto, Air Slash!"

The Scyther formed the ball of wind, this time hitting my Psychic type. She wince in pain, but she knew that I had a plan in my mind.

"Grace... Calm Mind once again!" Grace nodded as she continued increasing her power non-stop.

"Manto, one more super-effective attack should do it! Finish her off with Fury Cutter!" Manto nodded as he dashed towards Grace. The Scyther repeatedly slashed his opponent with his scythes. She tried to withstand the pain as she turned back to normal.

 _This is it!_

"Grace, Thunderbolt now!" Grace nodded as she released the lightning bolts around her, hitting the Scyther.

 _If my calculations are correct, this is good enough!_

Without a doubt, the Scyther was badly injured, but he held back as he dealt the last hits towards my Gardevoir. After the attacking was over, the Scyther fell fsce first to the ground as my Gardevoir did the same, both exhausted by the attacks.

"Grace and Manto were both unable to battle! The battle between Bugsy and Lows Landerson ends with a draw!" The referee announced as I knew what to wait for.

Whether Bugsy would give me the badge or not.

I went towards Grace as she looked at me, tired. However, we both looked towards the gym leader who was walking towards us.

Bugsy stood in front of me as he asked, "You are scared of Bug types, am I right?"

"H-How did you know?" I asked, shocked that he knew my fear.

"It's kinda obvious. The way you looked at my Pokémon... I could tell something happened before. However... you were able to set your fear aside in the end, and battled well. So, you deserved this badge."

He took out the Hive Badge and gave it to me. It looked like a ladybug's back. I gratefully took it before I quickly put it in my badge case. The feeling of holding a "ladybug" freaked me out a little.

"Thanks, Bugsy." I thanked him.

"It's no problem. I'm glad to battle trainers like you, you all gave me such thrilling battles. I wish you the best."

I gratefully smiled as we bid farewell, and I left the gym happily. I went back to the PokéCentre to heal my Pokémon, and also reuniting with Lisa.

"Lisa, what did you do when I was gone?" I curiously asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that..." She said as she took out a cake hidden beside her at the table, "Good job on getting the gym badge!"

I was surprised as I said, "Thanks, Lisa! When did you prepare this?"

"A few hours ago. I knew that you can get the badge, so I prepared this to congratulate you!"

"That's really nice of you, Lisa. Thank you!" I happily said. She nodded with a blush on her face as our teams and us two enjoyed the cake.

"Let's leave and go to Goldenrod City, Lisa." I said after eating the last piece of the cake.

"Wow, that fast?" Lisa said in surprise.

"Why not? You can finally participate in contests!" I said.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's pack our things and leave!" She happily accepted my suggestion as we went back to prepare. After everything was done, we met up outside the PokéCentre.

"Ready to go, Lisa?" I asked.

"Yeah, I sure am!" She excited replied.

"Let's go, then! Where do we go to Goldenrod again?"

"I think it's a place called Ilex Forest."

"Ilex Forest?"

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of the switchup for the battle?**

 **Do you think the outcome would change if Ziggs continued to battle?**

 **What will happen in Ilex Forest?**


	11. Johto 10

**Battling one of his biggest fears: Bug types, Lows was forced to face his phobia. However, he handled his fear well and ended up with a tie against the gym leader, Bugsy. He was impressed by Lows' performance despite his fear of Bug types, and gave him the second badge. After reuniting with Lisa, they set off for Ilex Forest to reach Goldenrod City. However, this travel will be one of Lows' biggest nightmare so far in Lows' journey.**

 **Chapter 10 - All Too Late**

"Lisa, this is the place, right?" I asked as we were at the entrance of a forest.

"Yup! According to the board at the entrance, this seems to be the place." She said as she pointed at a board as I looked at the information.

 **Ilex Forest**

 **A large forest full of trees that are used to make charcoal.**

 _Seems like it..._ I thought as I said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"But Lows, it is a forest, after all. That means-"

"I know, Lisa. Many Bug type Pokémon are there... I'll try to be brave, so we can get through this forest for the next destination! You really want to get to Goldenrod City, don't you?"

"Yeah, that's right! Alright then, let's go." Lisa happily said as we headed off into the forest.

 _Maybe... This isn't a good idea?_ I thought as I looked at my six Pokémon who were behind me in the forest.

I'll have to admit, I was quite scared still towards Bug types. If one of them crawled over my body... Yikes! I don't even want to think about it. Therefore, I sent out my six Pokémon, since I wouldn't mind the company a tiny bit.

"This forest is quite creepy to say the least... It's dark, and I felt a strange presence around here." Grace remarked.

"Yeah, it really makes me unable to see the way well. This is almost like in Union Cave..." I said while holding my flashlight, crept out by the forest.

"This is almost like Union Cave, except for the fact that it's creepier... We should try to get out of here fast." Lisa said while I nodded, agreeing her words.

"You know how bad I am with mazes... I never expected Johto to have so many 'mazes'!" I exclaimed.

"Hopefully, we can get out of here soon..." Lisa said, worried.

I had some experience before, so I was able to stay calmer in this situation. Even though I couldn't make much progress, I convinced myself that soon enough, we'll find a way to get out of here.

"I think we're making progress... Slowly, but surely." I examined the area and remarked.

"I think so too. We're doing much better here compared to Union Cave." Lisa said.

"I'll have to agree with that-" Suddenly, I stopped talking when I noticed something weird going on in front of me. It seemed like at the inner part of the forest, there was a bright light shining in the sky.

 _Something's up with the light... It is really unusual..._

Suddenly, my legs started moving towards the light. It was like I was meant to search the light. I knew that something might be up with that weird light, and I needed to investigate.

"L-Lows, where are you going?" I heard Lisa's voice, but I ignored her and continued running. I ran around the forest, trying to see if I can find where it came from.

After a few minutes, I found myself in front of a shrine. As I looked around the small structure in the forest, I realized that the light disappeared for unknown reasons.

 _If I'm not mistaken, the light definitely came from here. It felt like... I had seen the light before. What is up with that?_

Realization suddenly hit me as I saw the only flashlight I was holding.

 _Great... I took the only light source and left them, didn't I?! Smart move, Lows!_

I ran back to the place, hoping that they would be fine. However, it took me a while to come back and when I found where they were originally at, they were already long gone.

 _Oh no... Where could they be at?_

Without any hesitation, I started searching for them. I had to make sure they were all safe...

* * *

The first Pokémon that I found was Ziggs. He didn't move that far away from where he was at before, so it wasn't that hard to search for him.

"Ziggs, I'm so glad your safe!" I sighed in relief.

"Same here! I just hope the others are fine too..." He said, worried.

"Do you know where did they go?"

"I'm not sure... I only heard them in panic and started to separate as the voices became softer and softer... I think they might be further away from us than we thought."

"It's a crisis... We can't waste more time! I'll return you to the Pokéball first, have a good rest." Ziggs nodded as I returned him, and continued the search.

* * *

"Great... I think I'm lost. I hope everyone's okay..." Lisa said as she wandered around the forest. She couldn't see anyone, and started to tremble in fear.

 _I just hope... Someone is beside me right now..._

Suddenly, she bumped into something as she fell down. She hurriedly got up and checked who it was, worried that she might found an enormous monster. However, it turned out to be Lows' water type starter.

"Surfer! Are you alright? I'm sorry about that." Lisa said.

"I'm fine, Lisa. Since we found each other, why don't we explore together to find the others?" Surfer suggested.

"That's a good idea. Can you see through the darkness though?"

"I'm getting used to the darkness, so I can see better now. Let's go, shall we?"

Lisa nodded as she continued to walk forward in the forest, with the Water type following along her.

* * *

 _Hmm... I don't think I can find anyone here. Maybe... I should stay at a spot and wait for them to find me?_ Grace thought as she wandered around the forest. She tried to find the others, but the results weren't as fruitful as she hoped.

 _I guess I should stay here-_ Suddenly _,_ her thoughts were interrupted when she heard voices from a distance.

 _Is it... Lows?_ She thought as she detected the direction of the voice and went closer to it. However, what she found was unexpected for her.

She saw a man wearing a black suit with the letter "R" in the middle on it with a "N" inside the hole. She immediately became alert, as the design looked similar to Team Will's suit, and they were up to no good in the past.

 _I should get out of here..._ She thought as she started to float away from the man.

Suddenly, the man locked eyes with the Gardevoir as he said, "This Gardevoir... It could be a strong addition to the team! I must capture her! Get it, Tyranitar!"

She saw a large, bipedal, dinosaurian Pokémon appeared beside the man. It had a green, armor-like hide covering its body. Several spikes of varying size protruded from the back of its head, neck, and shoulders. A ring of spikes surrounds the tip of its tail.

It spotted its prey as it sent its cries, ready to hunt her down.

 _I need to get out of here... Fast!_

The Gardevoir hurriedly tried to escape from the Tyranitar, hoping that someone would find her and she would be safe.

* * *

I couldn't find anyone after some searching. Just when I was going to give up, I heard rustling in one of the bushes in front of me. I became alert as I slowly walked towards the bush.

 _Could it be... An enemy or a friend?_ I thought as I revealed what was behind the bush. Much to my relief, they were...

"Power, Shadow! I'm glad you two were okay. You two were exploring together?" I asked.

Power shrugged, "We just found each other, and decided to explore together, nothing weird behind it..."

I chuckled, but I noticed Shadow's expression. She appeared to be worrying about something.

"Anything wrong, Shadow?" I asked, and she nodded and tried to form a sentence for the situation.

"I sensed... danger here." She managed to give the message, as I knew that she detected that something bad was going to happen.

 _What is going to happen though..._ I thought, then something suddenly hit my mind.

 _Oh no, could she mean... One of us might be in danger? I-I can't waste any time!_

I returned the two immediately, and started to search for the others...

 _Lisa, Surfer, Grace, Woody... Please be fine!_

* * *

Grace hid behind a tree, hoping that the Tyranitar won't find her.

 _If it finds me... I don't know what to do... I might have to just battle it and do my best._

Suddenly, she sensed someone was coming to her way. She took a deep breath as she prepared for the worst. She then charged up a Shadow Ball attack, ready to surprise the opponent any time.

When she saw the enormous size Pokémon coming towards her, she released the black orb and hit the Tyranitar. However, it quickly recovered as the Rock and Dark type and its trainer surrounded the Psychic type.

The man smirked as he said, "Oh Gardevoir, you don't have to make things hard. Just join us before we force you to..."

Grace protested, "Whoever you are, there's no way I'm joining you!"

"It sounds like you aren't so happy. Then, you leave me with no choice. Tyranitar, attack!"

Grace immediately charged up a Psychic attack and tried to attack the Tyranitar, only to realize her attacks weren't effective against the Dark type. The Tyranitar took advantage against that as its teeth glowed white and it bit the Psychic type. Grace winced in pain due to the impact of the super-effective attack, but she knew she had to keep going.

The Tyranitar suddenly stomped its right foot onto the ground and the ground in front of it glowed light-purple. Then, rock-shaped balls of aura rised into the air and they transformed into rocks. The rocks were shot towards the Psychic type.

Grace could do nothing but take the attack. She was starting to feel weaker and she panted.

 _I can't... give up..._

"Looks like one more hit should do the trick. Tyranitar, you know what to do!"

The Tyranitar nodded as its body became surrounded by orange energy and it bursted into a purple orb that was surrounded by swirling orange streaks.

"Gardevoir, eat Giga Impact!"

The Tyranitar rushed towards the Psychic type, as she could do nothing but looked at the Tyranitar getting closer to her...

* * *

"I still can't find anyone... I wonder if they are okay." Woody said as he continued walking. Suddenly, he heard familiar cries in front of him.

 _That sounds like... Grace?! Is she okay?_ The Grovyle started to run towards where the cries came from.

He saw what was happening, and he stunned in shock.

He saw a certain Gardevoir lying on the ground with scars. She was badly injured and unconscious.

"G-Grace!" He went to her and examined her condition. She wasn't looking great at all.

"W-Who did this?!" Woody looked around the place, and saw a man and a Tyranitar. The man said, "Looks like someone else wants to join the team. Tyranitar, defeat that Grovyle!"

At this point, Woody knew that it was their doing. He had never been so angry before, and he knew he needed to defeat that Tyranitar.

As the Tyranitar went in for a Crunch attack, Woody countered the attack with a Leaf Blade attack. However, the Tyranitar didn't seem to be hurt at all as he formed the rocks and used Rock Edge towards Woody. Although he dodged most of them, he was hit by the last rock as he fell onto the ground. He got up, not wanting to give up.

Suddenly, Tyranitar's mouth became surrounded in red-orange flames as it rushed towards Woody and bit him. He winced in pain as he was slammed onto the ground. He tried to get up, but it was to no avail.

 _Am I... really that weak? I couldn't even protect Grace... The one that I..._

"Looks like the intruder is down too. Let's capture that Gardevoir!" The man slyly smiled as he took out an Ultra Ball.

 _N-No... I have to do this... For Grace!_

Woody slowly stood back up in anger as he used Leaf Blade and hit the Ultra Ball away from the man's hand. He was filled with anger as he said, "I will never... let you hurt her anymore!"

Suddenly, a white energy surrounded the Wood Gecko Pokémon as he started glowing...

* * *

 _I hope they're okay..._ I thought as I desperately searched for the others. Suddenly, I heard Pokémon cries to my right.

 _It must be them... Right?_

I went towards where the sounds came from. However, what I saw really shocked me. I trembled in fear as I got closer to the two.

I saw a Sceptile looking at a Gardevoir with a worried and sad expression on his face.

"W-Woody? What happened?" I knew he was Woody, but I was more desperate to know what happened to Grace.

"T-They... T-They..." He was in fear as he stuttered. He was too scared to talk about it as he looked at Grace.

"Lows, is that you? We finally found you-" I heard Lisa's voice as I saw Lisa walking along with Surfer, and her reaction wasn't any different from mine.

"What happened... to Grace?" She said in fear after witnessing the scene.

"I-I don't know, but there's no more time to waste! We have to take her to a hospital... Now!" I said, I had never been so scared before, even more scared than when I was in Petalburg Woods three years ago.

"I know the way back to Azalea Town, and there was a small hospital there!" I heard Lisa as I returned the three Pokémon and ran along with Lisa.

 _Please... Please hang on, Grace..._

 _You have to be fine... for me, for the team..._

 _The team really needs you, we really do..._

 _Please be fine..._

* * *

I stood in front of the entrance of the room where Grace was at, worried. Lisa and my Pokémon were beside me, and they were just as worried as me, especially Woody.

"It's all my fault... I shouldn't have left you guys." I said, angry at myself.

"It's not your fault... The man is the wrongdoer!" Lisa exclaimed.

"I just hope that Grace is fine... I really hope so." I said as suddenly, the door opened as a doctor came out of the room. I went towards him and asked, "Is she okay?"

The doctor went ahead and told me her condition, and I was shocked by what the doctor said. My legs felt weak as I was forced to lean against the wall...

* * *

I went towards them, who were waiting for me to say her condition.

"How's Grace? Is she going to be okay?" Power asked.

I sighed as I started to cry. I couldn't hold back anymore after hearing the news. My Pokémon went and comforted me, worried about me and Grace.

"I-I'm sorry... I can't take it anymore... The doctor said..." I said between sobs, as my Pokémon waited for me to announce the news.

"He said... Grace is badly injured... She might not be able to... battle for a long time..." More tears started to roll down my cheeks as I broke down.

Lisa and my Pokémon stood there, unable to react to my words.

Woody was devastated upon hearing the news. He started to tear up as well as he said...

"I should've reached there earlier... It's all my fault... I'm so sorry..."

* * *

 **This is a really hard chapter to write, but I felt like this decision is needed to be made.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter...**

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **What is going to be the fate of Grace?**

 **How will the news affect the team?  
**


	12. Johto 11

**Distracted by a strange light, Lows made the gang became separated from each other, and he was forced to find them one by one. However, not everyone was safe as Grace got attacked and became badly injured. The doctor announced that she couldn't battle for a while, causing Lows to make a tough decision for the team. How will Grace's injury affect the team?**

 **Chapter 11 - The Confession Before the Departure**

We were now at Grace's room in the hospital, looking at the Psychic type. She was still unconscious, but the doctor said that she would wake up soon.

I sighed. I knew the entire team were affected by this, I was affected too. _If I reached there earlier... I could've stopped this from happening... If I didn't leave them for the light, we would've been at Goldenrod City now, safe and sound..._

 _I'm so sorry, Grace..._ I thought wistfully as the doctor walked into her room. He then checked the condition of Grace. He did that once every few hours, and he would tell us how she was doing.

After another checkup, he told me, "Your Gardevoir should be waking up in a few hours."

I forced a smile as I replied, "Thanks, doctor."

"No problem, this is what I do anyway. But the thing is... What are you going to do? I did tell you that she won't be fully recovered until the league is over. Are you going to stay here and give up the Silver League, or continue going without her?" He asked.

"I really don't know... I really wished I could take her with us, but she wouldn't recover that way. I could stay with her, but I know she would want us to continue the league." I said.

"Well, I need an answer as soon as possible. I hope you made up your mind the next hour I come in." The doctor said as he left the room.

 _I need to make a decision..._ I thought as I looked at my still unconscious Psychic type.

 _She is a really important member for the team, just like everyone else. If we leave her here... The team won't be complete without her. However, if I think rationally, Grace would want us to continue.. for her. She would want to see us do well in the Silver League, even without her. Besides, I promise that I'll bring her back to the team once the league is over..._

The next hour arrived as the doctor appeared, and I had made my decision.

"Lows, I'll ask you one more time. What is your final decision?"

"I know it will be the best for all of us, so I decided-" Suddenly, I was interrupted by another voice.

"We're... leaving her? I-I'm not letting you do that, Lows!" It was Woody, as I was shocked by his reaction. He stormed out of the room and I sighed before deciding to search for him.

It wasn't long before I noticed him at a bench, eyes filled with tears. I went over to him and petted my Grass type.

"I know this decision is the best I can make, although it might hurt at first for all of us... Is there something wrong about my decision, Woody? You can tell me what you disagree." I said.

"I'm sorry, Lows. I know that your plan is a win-win situation, i-it's just... If we leave her, I'm going to miss her... a lot. She is a great partner, and most importantly..." He admitted, "I-I like her, and it's not going to be the same without her in the team."

"I know, Woody... It's tough for all of us, but we have to bare through the pain. Looking at Grace's condition, it's best to separate from her for now. Once she wakes up, I'll ask her opinion about it." I replied.

"I'll follow along too... I want to see what she wants us to do." Woody replied.

"She should be waking up soon. Let's go check on her." The Sceptile nodded as we walked back to Grace's room.

"Good news, Lows! I think she is regaining consciousness." The doctor smiled.

"Really? That's great! Thanks, doctor." The doctor left the room as we checked on Grace. She slowly opened her eyes as she looked at us.

"L-Lows? Woody? What are you two doing here? W-Where am I?" She asked.

"You're in the hospital, Grace. You suffered terrible injuries through the battle with the Tyranitar." I explained.

"Oh, is that so...? I'm feeling very weak, I don't think I can even levitate with my powers..." Grace said.

"There's a wheelchair for you there if you want to move." I pointed at a wheelchair suitable for her size.

"That's convenient..." She remarked.

"G-Grace, I have something to ask you." I became nervous as I told her.

"What is it?"

"The doctor said... that you can't battle for the league anymore. Do you want us to stay with you... or move on without you?" I asked.

"T-That is sudden..." Grace lowered her head as she thought about my question. After that, she raised up her head, meaning that she had her answer.

"As long as I want to be at the team's side... I think it's better for you all to move on..." Grace said.

"W-Why?!" Woody asked as what he didn't want to happen is becoming a reality.

"It's not worth it to stay with me and give up the league. I believe you all can bare through it. You all are amazing, and I wish I could be there and battle with you all, but with my condition... I'll just support you from here in my heart. Therefore... I want you all to continue on without me." Grace said.

"Grace... I'll definitely bring you back to the team after the league is over. It's a promise!" I said in determination.

"I trust you, Lows. I'll join the team once I recover." Grace smiled.

"I'm sorry, Grace... For everything. I really wished it wouldn't turn out like this..."

"It's okay, Lows. None of us want that to happen. I made this decision too... For now, I'll accept what happened to me... and focus on recovering."

I nodded as a response to her words, as Woody sighed, knowing that we will leave her, and it was unavoidable.

* * *

Just when I was leaving Grace's room for some fresh air, I saw Lisa in front of the entrance.

"Hi, Lisa. Came to visit Grace?" I asked.

"Yeah, I want to see if she's fine. Is she awake?"

"She just woke up. She's still a bit weak, but at least she was able to talk."

"So... Did you all make a decision?" Lisa asked.

"We did... We are going to move on without her, and I'll definitely let her back to the team after everything is done." I explained.

"I guess that's the best decision for everyone..."

"Not for Woody though. He is really upset to leave Grace."

"They have such a close relationship... I can tell why he is upset." Lisa sighed.

"Oh yeah, Lisa... I'm sorry." I apologized.

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong!" She asked in confusion.

"You know, for everything. I'm sorry that you have to witness the scene... Besides that, we failed to reach Goldenrod City early because of this incident. I'm really sorry, I will leave for Goldenrod as soon as possible, so I hope you don't mind..."

"I'm not mad at all! You must be devastated already from all these things happening to you. I should be saying sorry instead for what you have to suffer right now." She replied.

"I'll be fine soon... Don't worry. Thanks, Lisa." I forced a smile.

"That's good to hear. Anyways, you want to have dinner together? Today's dish is ramen noodles with chicken soup, your favorite." She smiled.

"I guess that could cheer me up a little... Let's go." I said as we walked towards the PokéCentre for a meal after an exhausting day. I really needed a meal after all these events...

* * *

I received a call from my friend, Sip. I answered the call and asked, "What's going on? Any updates about who might be behind all of this?"

I recently called him and asked him about the identity of the man based on the information Woody gave me. He said he would check it for me, and I assumed that he found something useful.

[That's right, Lows! I recently heard from a friend of mine that a villain team called Neo Team Rocket might be behind this!]

"Team Rocket? Didn't they disband a few years ago?"

[That was what everyone said, but recently, there were rumors that they are back with a new name called 'Neo Team Rocket' to fulfill what they couldn't do in the past. They are a much dangerous team now, according to what my friend said.]

"Hmm... I guess that's some information. Thanks, Sip. I needed that."

[No problem! Cheer up soon, alright? I know it's tough for you, but I know you can go through it.]

"I will try. Thanks, Sip." I ended the call as I clenched my fist...

 _Neo Team Rocket... I don't know who you are, but if you harm my_ _Pokémon again, it won't be pretty next time._

* * *

A few days had past as my Pokémon and I visited Grace very often. In fact, we stayed at her room almost every day. We really wanted to make the last memories together before separating with the Psychic type.

However, I knew I can't stay like this forever as it would only feel sadder to leave her. As such, I announced, "We'll be leaving Azalea Town in two days."

Power gasped in shock, "Two days?! Wouldn't the time be too short to visit Grace?"

"We can keep in touch her through video calls along our journey. For now, I think we have enough time to have some final memories with her." I explained.

"B-But Lows! Don't you think you're rushing this?! What's the point of that?" Woody suddenly roared in rage. I knew he was the most upset out of all of us. His questions were starting to hit my soft spot as I teared up.

"I know that, okay?!" I yelled as I started to cry, "If I can, I would just give up the entire Silver League just so all of us could be together. But is that what Grace wants? She wants us to move on... and challenge the Silver League! I'm also upset that we have to do this, but... we have no other choice! I'm sorry..."

All the stress, all the upset feelings inside my heart... They all bursted out of me as I cried. I broke down again, I couldn't stand anymore of this. I felt petting from my Pokémon, as Woody appeared to have calmed down and said, "L-Lows... I'm sorry, I respect your decision. I was too upset to leave her... We'll leave in two days, just as you planned."

"A-Are you sure you'll be okay with that?" I wiped my tears as I looked at him.

"We have to move on... for her." He turned to look at the sky, and I can see the sorrow inside his eyes.

 _I know it's tough... But I hope you can go through it, Woody._

* * *

 **The day before the departure...**

It was late at night, and Grace woke up from a nightmare. She dreamt about the incident again, and it was certainly something she did not want to remember again.

She looked beside her bed, and saw the Grass type sleeping. Lows and the team took turns to check on Grace, and apparently Woody was the one checking on her.

She looked at the sleeping Woody, as she somehow started to calm down. However, she started to feel sad as she was about to leave Lows, the team... Most importantly, Woody.

She was definitely sad to leave them, who wouldn't be? However, she knew it was the best for the team and she acted like it was fine.

 _I just hope that you all can do your best, even without me..._ She thought while staring at Woody. Suddenly, Woody started to talk in his sleep as he said, "G-Grace! You have to hold on..."

She tried to comfort him, but it wasn't working. He suddenly woke up in shock, as sweat was all over him.

"Grace, you're awake?" His face then turned red in embarrassment, "I didn't... say anything weird, did I?"

"I'll let that pass..." Grace said, as she requested, "Woody, can you do me a favor?"

"A-Anything! What is it?"

"Can you take me out for a walk? I have a wheelchair to move around, after all."

"S-Sure! I'll push the wheelchair for you." He gently let Grace sit in the wheelchair as he started pushing the wheelchair at a slow pace. They went outside the hospital and were at the middle of town.

"G-Grace, I just want to say... I'm sorry." He suddenly apologized, "If I had arrived earlier, I could've-"

"Woody, it really is fine! You did your best to save me, and I appreciated it. Besides... Everything happens for a reason, and we have to accept it."

Woody nodded as he thought about her words, _Maybe... She's right... But I will miss her... a lot. If I can go back to time, I would definitely not let any of this happen._

"Look, Woody!" She suddenly pointed at the sky as Woody looked at the dark sky. There were more stars compared to the past few days, shining brightly.

"I remember that... we also did the same thing in the past." Woody said.

"Yeah... It was back at the Lilycove Hospital, where we looked at the stars together after getting the final badge. It was one of the best memories of my life, Woody. Watching the stars with you is something I really enjoy." Grace expressed.

"R-Really? I never knew that you like watching the stars so much..." Woody rubbed his head.

"I like watching the stars, but I enjoy it more when I am with you. You just make me... happier and more comfortable. This is why... I'm glad that I can share this moment with you." Grace smiled.

Upon hearing that, Woody blushed as they paid their attention towards the stars. As they were looking at the stars, memories of the past struck them...

They still remembered all of them, back when...

 _They first met at the Pokémon Adoption Centre._

 _Battling together against Team Will and saving each other in Verdanturf Town._

 _Training together in the special attack training..._ _  
_

 _Woody saving Grace when Grace was almost captured by another Team Will Grunt..._

 _Woody letting Grace win during a friendly battle, and Grace comforted him with their first hug..._

 _Woody hugging Grace for the first time back at the arena seat in Petalburg Gym._

 _The Grass type replacing her due to worrying about her safety in the Fortree Gym battle._

 _The first time they watch the stars together._

 _Woody forced to hug Grace due to a dare and admitted his feelings for the first time._

After they finished walking through the memory lane, they looked at each other in the eyes.

"Woody..." Grace started.

"Yeah, what is it?" He said, with a blush still on his face.

"I want to tell you something... for a long time."

"What do you want to tell me?"

"Woody... During my time in the team, I have a certain feeling against a Pokémon. He might be awkward in conversations and easily flustered, but he's also kind, helpful and most importantly, he's very nice and we get along well. We did many things together, and throughout our times together, he... stole my heart. I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm sure that... I fell in love with him." She said as she looked at the Grass type. She had a slight red on her face, but she was relieved that she finally expressed her feelings to her crush.

"D-Does that mean..." Woody said, his face turning redder once he knew what she meant.

"Yes, Woody. You... You are the one who I love." Grace shyly smiled.

 _S-She actually likes me?_

"I'm glad that I expressed my feelings to you. There's only one thing that I'm wondering... Do you have the same feelings towards me?" She asked.

He was about to answer 'yes', but something stopped him from doing that.

 _Do I... have the power to protect her? I really like her, but doesn't she deserves someone... better than me? I don't know..._ He thought as guilt from the incident back at Ilex Forest hit him again.

"I-I don't know, Grace." Instead, he gave out this response, leaving the Gardevoir slightly upset.

"I-It's okay." She forced a smile as she said, "It's getting late, let's go back."

Woody pushed her wheelchair as they returned to the room. It wasn't long before Grace fell asleep.

Woody looked at her as he sighed. _What should I do..._

* * *

 **The day of the departure...**

It was the day. We were leaving our beloved member in the team. Grace was on a wheelchair as we were outside the hospital, ready to say goodbye and leave Azalea Town.

"Please take good care of her, doctor." I said.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure she recovers fast and will always be fine in this hospital."

"That's good to hear." I smiled as I said to Grace, "I guess this is goodbye for now. However, you're always my Pokémon, and I'll make sure to add you back to the team, I promise."

"I know you will be fine. Lead the team to its best, Lows." I smiled upon hearing her words and hugged her. After that, it was time for the other Pokémon to say farewell.

"Grace... You're a great friend, and I hope to see you again. We'll brave the waves together after you return!" Surfer exclaimed.

"I'm looking forward to it!" She smiled.

Ziggs was next as he said, "Grace, thank you for what you did for me, especially replacing me at the Azalea Gym Battle when I didn't want to battle... It's going to be tough without you."

"Don't worry, Ziggs! It's temporary, and I'll be back soon to help you and the team!" She replied.

"That's good! Remember what you said!" Ziggs smiled as Grace nodded.

Power went in front of her as he said, "Grace, well... I don't really know what to say other than 'See you soon', since I'm not good at making sentences..."

"It's okay! I know what your heart tells me, that's all that matters. Also..." Grace made a sign that she wanted to whisper to him, as Power nodded and went closer to her. Grace whispered something into his ear, and he slightly blushed, confusing me and the team members.

After he went away from her, Ziggs asked, "What did she tell you?"

Power replied, "I-It's nothing..."

Lisa also went and gave her a soft hug. She said, "Grace, I'll come back and see you looking healthy and graceful again just like before!"

"Hopefully, I won't disappoint you when you come back!" She grinned.

Instead of saying anything, Shadow went towards her and gave her a big hug. I saw tears forming in her eyes: it must be hard for her to leave her best friend.

 _At this point, action speaks louder than words..._

"I know you'll go through it, Shadow. You always do when it comes to obstacles like these. You're a great friend, and I hope we will still be best friends after I return."

Shadow nodded without hesitation as they broke the hug. And lastly, Woody went towards Grace.

"Woody... I think I'll miss you the most. You're always there for me, and I thank you for that." Grace said.

Woody stood still while looking at the Psychic type. His mind was thinking whether he should tell her how he felt towards her.

Grace broke his thoughts as she asked, "One last hug before we separate?"

Woody nodded as he went over and embraced her. As he wrapped around her with his arms, the warm feelings erupted inside him. He knew that if he didn't tell her that time, he wouldn't have the chance to tell her again in a long time.

 _I-I have to tell her!_

"Grace! Remember the question you asked me last night?" Woody said after breaking the hug, as Grace looked at him in confusion. She remembered the question she asked him, she just didn't knew what he meant by that.

"I-I just want to say... My answer is yes! I just didn't have the courage to say it last night, but... I always liked you, ever since that time when you saved me in Verdanturf, I started to have feelings towards you. I-I know that if I don't tell you this today, I'll definitely regret it for a long time! My feelings towards you... are just the same!" Woody finally expressed his feelings towards her, and she happily smiled after hearing what he said as they hugged each other again, enjoying their last moment together before the departure.

"Grace..." Woody said as they broke their last hug, "Wait for me! I'll make sure that I'll have the power to protect you after you return... And my heart will never change!"

"Don't worry... I'll be waiting for you to come back!"

"It's a promise!" Woody yelled as the others smiled. They knew how long they had been crushing on each other, and they finally expressed their feelings.

"Alright then... I guess it's time for us to leave now. Grace, wait for us, alright?" I asked.

"No matter how long it takes... My heart is always with the team, and I'll support you until you return!"

"Goodbye, Grace!" I said as she nodded, and we walked away from her. We tried our best not to look back, as we all knew that...

 _Don't look back... It'll only make it harder to leave her!_

Tears that I had been holding back fell from my eyes again, as I continued running towards Ilex Forest.

 _Grace... You're a member of our team, and you'll always be one. We'll definitely come back. I promise, I promise, I promise!_

I held back the urge to turn back as we went into Ilex Forest, leaving Azalea Town and our beloved Pokémon behind...

* * *

 **Alright... It's finally done.**

 **It's one of the chapters that I really wanted to write, and I planned this for a while, back when I was still writing "Hoenn - Where the Journey Begins".**

 **I knew it would be hard for Grace to temporarily leave the story. I liked her moments with Woody, and her contribution towards the team. But, I knew that this had to be part of the story too.**

 **But hey, I wrote something that I really wanted to write: Them expressing their feelings towards each other!**

 **I hope you like this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!**

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of Lows' decision?**

 **How do you feel about Grace separating with Lows' team?**

 **How do you think of Grace and Woody expressing their feelings in the end?  
**


	13. Johto 12

**Due to serious injury, Grace was forced to leave the team temporarily for recovery. She eventually confessed her feelings towards her crush, Woody the day before the day of the departure. Woody was uncertain to express his feelings but eventually gained the courage just before the team was about to leave. Despite reaching Goldenrod City successfully this time, the team was still having different thoughts after leaving their teammate. When will they recover and continue their journey happily again?**

 **Chapter 12 - Recovery**

Leaving for another city always seemed to be a happy thing to do.

However, this time, it was much different.

This was our second attempt to reach Goldenrod, and I was letting my guard down. I told my Pokémon to stay in their Pokéballs for this time, and they obviously knew the reason why, so they obeyed my command. Besides, they weren't feeling like they wanted to explore this place again: it would just trigger their sad memories.

 _This time, I'm not letting anyone getting hurt. No one._

I held my torch tightly as I roamed through the forest, with Lisa following behind me. Although I heard the Bug types near us, but I wouldn't let that mind me.

 _I'm not going to get distracted by anything this time. Not after what happened..._

I took a deep breath, as I continued roaming through the forest without any hesitation.

After focusing on finding the way out of this forest, it eventually resulted in us getting out of the place. I cheered quietly as I saw light at the exit. We went out of there, and as we tried to get used to the sudden brightness, I heaved a sigh of relief.

 _This time, no one is hurt... Thank Arceus._

As we walked along the route to Goldenrod, we kept quiet for most of the time. I wasn't in the mood to talk, and Lisa knew that and followed along quietly. She was a really observant person, and she always knew what to do according to people's feelings in a certain situation.

Before reaching the city, I tried to set my thoughts aside and tried to cheer myself up. I knew that this situation was awkward for Lisa and I right now.

That was when we saw a building that generally interested me: it was a large two-story building nestled to the east. It had white walls with pink and light blue circles, a gold-painted door, and a large fenced yard with a pond and lush grass. On top of the door was a sign in large gold letters.

I looked at the letter as I read aloud, "Goldenrod Nursery and Day Care? What's that?"

"It's a place that specializes in Pokémon breeding. It's a really important place in this world." Lisa replied. I turned to her and saw her appearing to be interested about the building. After a while, she was done watching the building as we continued the way.

After I saw huge buildings in front of us, I knew that we had reached Goldenrod City. I examined the area after stepping into the city, "So this is Goldenrod City," I exclaimed, "seems like it is quite a city here. All these modern buildings... It reminds me of Lilycove City."

Lisa replied, "I never been to Lilycove before, but Goldenrod seems like a great place!"

"Now that we're in Goldenrod, what are your plans, Lisa?" I was still happy for Lisa: she could finally pursue her dream as a Coordinator.

However, she gave out an answer that shocked me, "I-I don't know, actually."

"Why? Didn't you want to participate in contests here? This could be the first step of your big dream!"

"It's just... I don't know if I'm ready yet. Besides, I don't think I have the skill to... stand up among the other Coordinators. What if I became an embarrassment and failed? I-"

I cut her off, "Lisa, you're just nervous, that's all. Besides, all you lack is self-confidence! I know you can do it."

 _She must be doubting herself just because of her results in the Trainer Evaluation. Honestly, she is a great trainer, and she has the skills to do it._

"M-Maybe you're right, I just need some more time to decide. After the Trainer Evaluation, I just need some time to feel confident again." Lisa sighed.

I gave her a reassuring smile, "I know you can do it!"

She looked up to me and smiled gratefully. After that, she suggested, "Why don't we have a look around the city?"

"Sure! I'm sure the others would like it too." I said as I sent my team, who were still slightly upset, but were amazed by the sight. Lisa's team was really excited to explore around Goldenrod, especially Hibana.

We looked around the city: There was a huge department store, an arcade, different kinds of shops... We were generally impressed by the city: It was huge, beautiful and consisted of many different kinds of buildings. I just wished that not many people were around the city, it just made me feel uncomfortable.

After a long walk around the city, we eventually went back to the PokéCentre, exhausted. I asked Lisa, "You have your decision yet?"

She replied, "I don't think so... I guess I need more time to think about it."

"I know that you'll make a good decision for yourself, Lisa." I smiled.

Lisa nodded and asked, "Will it be okay if I go out for a moment?"

"Wow, already? You sure have a lot of stamina. Sure thing!" Lisa smiled at my response as she said goodbye to me before leaving the PokéCentre. After Lisa left, I went to the room that I booked as I put my stuff there. After that, I sat on the bed as I thought, _Goldenrod is surely a huge city... Each building has its own function, and the people live happily here. This place is nice to explore around._

 _Except that..._

 _I just wish Grace would see that._

I sighed.

 _Is she okay right now? Would she feel lonely without us? Without her, I feel... empty._

 _I hope you're safe and sound, Grace._

* * *

Ziggs sat on the couch as he wandered around. _Hmm, everyone seemed to be in a bad mood... I guess it isn't the time to talk to them._

He switched on the television using the remote control with his paw, and switched to different channels. He wasn't interested in any of the channels. He felt boring and as he was about to switch off the television, something caught his attention...

[Welcome to News Around the World! Today, we take a look at Harry Waves, the Junior Division Champion of the latest Hoenn League. Rumors have been told that he is currently training non-stop for the upcoming battles against the Elite Four members, and looks like the rumors are not wrong!]

A series of photos were shown on the television screen as the woman continued, [Harry has recently been spotted training in Jagged Pass. He was so focused on training, that he didn't even notice the camera taking photos of him. We look forward to his battles against the Elite Four and once that is going to happen, we are going to announce the dates and times of the battles, so stay tuned for that!]

Ziggs thought, Looks like he's working hard... _He seems to be much different compared to the Harry I knew back at Route 101. That's not a bad thing at all, though..._

 _Now that I think about it, even though I was upset because of Harry's words back then, but that also made me determined to become stronger in the team. I can't say I'm good, but at least I'm not as terrible as before!_

 _I guess I'll have to thank old Harry for that..._

Ziggs chuckled as he thought about it. However, he also sighed.

 _However, I felt like I'm getting weaker than usual... It's just that I get tired way easier compared to back at Hoenn. This was also why Grace replaced me in the battle._

 _If I battled instead, would we still get the badge? Would we be able to go to Ilex Forest that quick? Would that incident... even happen?_

Ziggs became quiet as he was lost in his thoughts.

* * *

Power was there thinking too, however, he was thinking about something else. Something that Grace said before they left. He blushed when he thought back the words that she whispered to him.

 _Didn't I... hide it well enough? The others never seemed to notice this at all, but Grace, she knew me just well._

 _I know I have to make a move soon, but then again, I still have to do what I have to do in the future..._

Suddenly, he broke from his thoughts as he heard a quiet voice, "H-Hi."

He went there and saw Shadow in front of him. He noticed Shadow's sad expression and asked, "Missing Grace, I suppose?"

She nodded, as tears started to form in her eyes. Power never saw her cried before, and he felt bad for the Dark type.

"It's okay, Shadow." Power comforted her. She leaned against Power as tears started to roll down her face.

Power shook his head and sighed as he petted her head softly. He knew that staying beside her was the only thing he could do to make her feel better.

* * *

Woody was already starting to miss Grace. He promised to himself that he would move on without her, but he definitely still missed her.

 _Grace, I missed you just being by my side, by the team all the time... I just wished I expressed my feelings earlier._

However, he knew what to do. Just like what he promised to Grace...

 _"Grace... Wait for me! I'll make sure that I'll have the power to protect you after you return... And my heart will never change!"_

 _I'll make sure to become stronger... For the team, for Grace, for myself._

 _I just hope... I can achieve my goal like what I wished for._

* * *

Surfer on the other hand, he was worried. He was worried about his team. It wasn't hard to see that the team was still devastated by the incident. Sure, he was upset too, but he knew that he had to move on in order to continue his journey.

 _However, it seems like the others are still sad about it... Even Lows, I can see it through his expression._

 _Hey, I'm a mind reader too!_

 _But that's not the point._

 _I have to find a way to make this situation better... and get this team back on track again!_

 _Firstly, we have to comfort the leader._

Surfer thought as he walked towards his trainer, determined to do this grand mission.

* * *

As I was lost in thought, I noticed a Pokémon getting closer to me. I looked towards the Pokémon and saw my starter. "Oh, it's you, Surfer. Why did you come here?"

"I saw you sitting on the bed, appearing to be thinking about something. Let me guess... It's about Grace?"

"You know me so well." I sighed as Surfer sat beside me. I petted my starter as I expressed my thoughts, "I'm just not sure if I can do this without her. I feel like the team is greatly affected by this too."

"Yeah, you can say that again. However, you do know that we have to move on in order to continue our journey? I want us to be have a happy journey again, but I knew that with your help, it would be easier to get the team together." Surfer said in a serious tone: I never seen Surfer being so serious before.

"I know that, Surfer." I lowered my head as I said, "It's just... It's not something that can get out of my mind for a while. I treat every one of you... like my family. Losing one of you all... it aches me."

"It's definitely hard to leave a family member, but I knew Grace would want us to continue the journey happily. Besides, she would want us to successfully ride the waves, even when she's not here with us! If we continue being devastated like this, Grace would definitely be unhappy."

I thought of Surfer's words. _Sure, we've been sad because of Grace, but we have been ignoring what Grace wanted us to really do: To have a happy journey until she returns to the team. Maybe, moving on is essential at this point in order to fulfill our promise to her._

"You know what, Surfer?" I said as I left my bed and stood up.

"What is it, Lows?"

"You're definitely right. We have to move on for her. I feel like even though I'm the trainer, I'm always able to learn new things from you all. Thanks, Surfer."

He was happy to hear me cheering up and complimenting him as he smiled, "No problem! Let's brave the waves and make the team back on track again."

"Let's do this." I smiled as we walked towards our teammates, with one big objective to accomplish.

* * *

We first went towards Ziggs, who appeared to be wandering off. I softly petted him, startling him.

"O-Oh, it's you, Lows! What's going on?" Ziggs said, trying to recover from the shock.

"You seem to be wandering off. What were you thinking about?"

"I... I..." He was hesitant about saying it, but even though my new ability didn't get activated, I could still tell what he was thinking about.

"Let me guess... You're thinking about the incident, right?" I asked.

"H-How do you know?" He was shocked by my guess.

"I guess we're all affected by it in some way. Why are you thinking about it though? I know that you're good friends with her, but you're usually a happy go lucky Pokémon."

"It's just... Is the incident... part of my fault?" He said as he lowered his head.

"Why is that? You did nothing wrong!" His best friend immediately responded.

"R-Really? I don't feel like it. If I battled Bugsy in the gym battle, maybe we would have lost... And if we lost, maybe we could delay our trip through Ilex Forest... And maybe that could prevent the incident from happening..."

"Don't say that, Ziggs!" I stopped him from being negative, "I know you feel bad because of Grace's injury. However, there's nothing wrong with you!"

"I-I don't know..." He was still unsure of my words as Surfer petted his best friend, trying to comfort him.

As we were trying to cheer him up, we saw two Pokémon in the distance. They were Shadow and Power, and Shadow appeared to be leaning against Power and crying. Power was just there being quiet as he stayed by the Dark type's side.

 _I guess they're also affected by it, too... Looks like, a lot of mending has to be done._

"Power, Shadow!" I signalled them to come towards us. Although curious, they still obeyed my command and walked towards me. After that, I knew I had a big role to make them recover from the incident.

"I assume all of us are affected by Grace's incident, and I know it's tough handing it and act like nothing happened. However, we all know the fact that we have to move on, too. But you all are just unable to recover in such a short time, right?"

Ziggs and Shadow looked at me and slowly nodded. Power replied, "I think I'm okay with it. I just want to help out Shadow as I know she is sad about it..."

"Alright, that's fair." I looked at Shadow as I asked, "Were you upset because you knee that something was going to happen, but you were unable to stop it?"

Shadow immediately looked at me, her expression changed and I knew I was right again. I was actually a sensitive person, so I could know others' thoughts easily. _Maybe that's why Arceus gave me this ability to read minds..._

I took a deep breath as I said, "Look Shadow. It's tough that some stuff couldn't be in your control, I had some experience about it too. However, after a certain amount of time, I understood that everything happens for a reason. Every cloud has a silver lining, Arceus has its reasons to make something happen, and we will know why eventually when the time comes. Besides, you don't have to be sad because you lost your best friend. She'll be back soon, and we're here for you, and we're your friends too."

I looked at Shadow after I finished my "speech". She still remained expressionless and I started to become worried.

 _Did it work? Did it..._

Suddenly, she teared up once again, but I knew it's for a different reason. I smiled as she hugged me. She then hugged her close friend, Power as well, which he quickly returned the gesture to comfort her. At this point, I knew my words worked. I turned my attention towards Ziggs, who was listening and thinking about my words too.

"You know what?" Ziggs raised his paw as he said, "You're right, Lows! Things happen for a reason! Besides, I have so many others, going through this with me... I will not give up just yet!"

Seeing him returning to his normal self, Surfer happily went ahead and gave him a high-five, "That's the spirit, Ziggs!"

 _Alright, with one speech, two of them are down! Maybe I can be a speaker sometimes... Jokes aside, I'm happy they were recovering. However, that leaves..._

My thoughts were interrupted as I saw Woody walking towards us and said, "What's everyone doing here?"

"Ah, Woody, you are just here on time!" Surfer invited him, "Come here, we need to help you."

"Help me? Help me with what?" He asked as he became more confused.

"We want to help you move on from Grace's incident. I know you like her a lot, but..." I said, but was cut off by Woody.

"There's no need to say anything, Lows. I know what Grace would like me to do, and I'll become stronger for her the next time we meet." He looked at me with a determined look on his face.

"Oh, that's great, then! I'm so proud of you, Woody." I went ahead and hugged my Grass type. I knew he went through a lot, and although he was hurt before, he really grew up a lot from this incident.

 _That was easier than I thought..._

"Alright then! The team is set once again! Let's do our best and work together to get the best results in the Silver League!" I said as my Pokémon cheered. Suddenly, the doorbell rang as I went to open my room's door. It was Lisa, who was looking at us with a big smile, "What are you all doing? You all seem to be much happier."

"Oh, we had some recovering session, and I guess you can say that worked a lot." I replied.

"That's good then! Also, Lows... I have something to tell you." She said.

"What is it, Lisa?" I was curious of what she was going to say, my Pokémon were too.

"Nothing too big... It's just that... I'm ready to participate in my first contest!" Lisa blushed after announcing it as we cheered.

"Lisa, that's wonderful! I'll definitely go and support you when it comes."

"Thanks!" Her smiled grew wider as she said, "It's getting quite late. Do you want to have dinner together?"

"Sure thing! I'm sure we're all hungry by now." We all laughed as we all went to have a nice treat.

It was a hard day, but we went through it, and we were looking forward to be better than ever.

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **What do you think Grace said to Power?**

 **How do you think of the recovery?**

 **How will Lisa do in her first contest?**


	14. SC 1

**Welcome to the first side chapter of the story! This chapter explains what happened to Lisa after she was separated with Lows for a short while, and what made her gained her confidence to participate in contests. Enjoy!**

 **SC 1 - The Encounter in the Day Care**

"Will it be okay if I go out for a moment?" Lisa asked.

"Wow, already? You sure have a lot of stamina. Sure thing!" Lisa smiled at his traveling companion's response as she said goodbye to him before leaving the PokéCentre.

As she walked around the city, she sighed. _Sure, it would be nice to join contests... But what if I screw up just like back in the Trainer Evaluation? Sure, that was an accident, but still... Ugh, I just hope I can make up my mind as soon as possible. Lows really want me to join them, and I don't want to disappoint him, either._

She walked out of the city and towards the route before Goldenrod. She sent out Hibana, who knew she wasn't in a good mood again as she let her hugged her, hoping that would comfort her trainer a little. She held Hibana in her arms as she let out another big sigh. Suddenly, something nearby caught her attention.

Goldenrod Nursery and Day Care.

She was already interested with it when she first saw it with Lows. She just didn't want to go into further detail as she thought Lows wanted to reach Goldenrod quicker. _However, now that I'm here..._

She slowly walked to the entrance, and carefully opened the door. Inside the lobby were a receptionist desk, white walls with three doors and a wooden staircase, and many display cases.

She looked at the display cases, which showed various breeding awards. The last display case contained an award that was written, "Top 15 Breeding Couples: Garam and Anda Patajhad".

"Hey, young one. What are you doing here?" A voice suddenly appeared as she turned around. She saw an elderly woman with dark skin, black-grey hair tied in a bun, and amber eyes looking at her with a kind smile.

"I'm sorry! It's just that... I'm quite interested in this place. My name is Lisa Karame."

"Lisa Karame? Is your father perhaps a breeder in Kanto, too?" Lisa nodded at the old lady's question as Anda continued, "Is that so? That's great! Your father and I are friends. Would you like me to show you around? I'm Anda Patajhad, but you can just call me Anda."

"I'm Lisa Karame, and I would love that! Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" She smiled as she started showing the girl around the Goldenrod Day Care. She was fascinated by the different kinds of eggs in this place, and how incubation worked in here.

"Wow, that's amazing! Thanks for showing me around here, Anda!" She smiled.

"No need to thank me, Lisa. Anyways, when I first saw you through the window, you were travelling with another trainer. Where is he?" Anda asked.

"O-Oh, he's just not with me right now. I came here myself because I had some stuff I needed to figure out myself." She said, before letting out a soft sigh. However, the old lady noticed it and questioned her sudden sigh.

"What's bothering you, sweetie? You can always tell this old lady about it."

Normally, she wouldn't tell her secrets to people she just met. However, she could tell Anda was a good and kind person, and she just told her about what was bothering her without hiding it.

"Hmm... It seems like it would be something you have to decide on your own!" Anda concluded.

"I guess so. I just need some time to make up my mind. It's just that I don't want to embarrass myself again..."

"I'm sure you can make up your mind as time goes." The old lady comforted her.

She would go back to Lows, but she wouldn't want to go back there without an answer to him, that will only disappoint her travelling companion. Besides, she was still stressful to make her final decision.

Suddenly, her Pokégear rang as she answered the call, it was her father, [Lisa! Are you doing alright in Johto?]

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine, Dad. I began travelling with another trainer from Kanto as well."

[Really? That's great! Which city are you at now?]

"I'm currently in Goldenrod City."

[Oh wow, that's great! I have a favor to ask you, Lisa. If you don't mind, can you go to the Goldenrod Nursery and Day Care near there and help out my friends, Anda and Garam? They are my old friends, and I bet they would appreciate your help there.]

"What a coincidence... I'm actually right at the nursery! Don't worry, I'll help them out."

[Thanks, Lisa! Stay safe!] After the call ended, she thought, _Maybe, that will help a little..._

"Anda, I would like to help out today."

* * *

It was actually great to help out at the nursery. She got to learn many new things that she wouldn't normally learn outside the place, which was a good thing. She even got to meet the owner of the nursery, Garam. So far, she was enjoying her time there, even though she hadn't make a decision yet.

She was in a room, doing the work she had been doing for the past few hours. She didn't feel exhausted at all: She was actually quite interested in this kind of work, and she would do it non-stop.

Suddenly, there were some voices coming from the lobby. She said as she held her Vulpix, "Looks like we have new people here, Hibana."

"New people? I would love to meet them!" The Vulpix happily exclaimed as she ran out of the door.

"Oh, great! Hibana, wait!" She followed her out of the north door, as she apologized to the others, "Sorry about that!"

As Hibana continued running, a saw one of the girls' eyes grew wide as she backed away. Her other friend was appearing to be worried about her.

She felt bad as she apologized again, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you're scared of Vulpix!" She hastily took out Hibana's Pokéball, only for it to drop on the tiled floor. Her Vulpix ran after it and was about to touch the button.

"Oh no, it's fine!" The girl reassured. "Your Vulpix seems really nice. I'm Summer by the way, and this is Lightning, my Raichu."

Her friend waved. "I'm Yuki, and this is my friend, Ichigo."

 _Wait... Is she who I think she is?!_

Lisa gasped. "You're Yuki Mizu?! Oh my gosh! I'm such a huge fan! I'm a Coordinator too." She introduced herself, "Lisa Karame's my name, and this Vulpix is Hibana."

Yuki shook hands with her as she replied, "It's nice to meet a fellow Coordinator. Are you going to participate in the Goldenrod City Contest?"

"I'm planning to, but I don't know if I'm ready. I'm helping at the nursery to figure that out and to help some friends of my dad. He's a very well known Breeder in the Kanto Region."

Anda appeared in front of them as she greeted the two girls. They started a happy conversation as Lisa was there listening to them talk.

Garam walked towards Lisa and said, "There you are, Lisa. Are you really to continue watching over the baby Pokémon?" He then looked at the others. "Oh, we have guests."

"Garam, dear," Anda informed. "These two are Summer and Yuki, friends of Samir."

"Oh, it's very nice to meet you. This is the most visitors we had in a while. Would you like to meet the Pokémon we're raising here?"

Summer ecstatically responded, "We'd love too, and maybe the Eggs here as well."

The couple laughed. "Very well," Anda said, motioning us to follow her. "I'll show you the Egg room first."

"Good idea, Anda. Lisa and I will join you once we get the Pokémon fed."

Anda led the girls through the east door as Lisa followed Garam back through the north door. She couldn't believe she met her idol. _She looked so cool! I just wished I can be as great as her someday..._

After looking over the Baby Pokémon for a little while, she took five Pokéballs containing baby Pokémon with her as Garam wanted her to take the Pokémon to the yard. After that, she followed the elderly man and went to the room where the other were at to check how they were doing.

Garam asked, "Anda, do you have time to go over the plans for tomorrow?"

Anda nodded. "Sure. You three can go to the yard and relax. The baby Pokémon can also use some fresh air."

Lisa giggled. "I have their Pokéballs with me. Come on, Summer and Yuki!"

They went to the front yard and sat on the medium-sized grass. Lisa threw five Pokéballs into the air, revealing different baby Pokémon around the yard. Summer was interested in some new Pokémon as she scanned them with her Pokédex.

"These Pokémon are so cute!" Summer exclaimed as her Raichu, Yuki's Minun and Hibana watched over the five playful creatures.

Lisa laughed. "They sure are!" Then she became quiet. "Yuki, can I ask you something?"

Her new friend smiled. "Sure, what is it?"

"H-How did you feel when you lost to Azura in the Hoenn Grand Festival?" She asked. She was upset to see her idol lose at the time, and she wanted to know how it felt like to not being able to succeed in contests.

"Oh... Well, I feel really upset, which is natural when you lose. But against a rival who looks down on you, that made it feel worse. I even thought about quitting and staying with my aunt on her showboat back in the Orange Islands."

Upon hearing the response, she tucked her legs close to her body, thinking about the Trainer Evaluation that didn't go well for her.

"But then," Yuki continued. "I met Summer. She's not only kind, but she's really supportive and eager to help others. Along with my family and my other friends, I was able to rediscover the fun of Contests. And now, I'm ready to try and win this region's Grand Festival."

Lisa relaxed upon hearing her answer and let her legs lie on the grass. "I never knew you felt that way, Yuki. You're always so happy when you're on stage. But I'm happy you were able to overcome your insecurities." She then took out a Pokéball. "Actually, can I tell you two a secret?"

The two nodded as Lisa sent out Bureiku, as Yuki became amazed, "I've never seen a Zorua up close!"

Summer looked at her Pokédex as she said, "Huh...so Zorua are not found in Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn..."

"That's right," Lisa said. "They're mainly found in the Unova Region, far away from here. Anyway, a long time ago, when I playing near my house, I saw a weak Zorua, like my Bureiku, begging for food. I was so worried about it, I ran inside and asked my father for some Berries. He gave me some juicy Oran Berries, and I was so happy to finally help a Pokémon like my parents." She paused, then took a deep breath. "But when I gave it the Zorua, it turned into a Gengar, which scared me and took the Berries away. I became afraid of Gengar ever since." She was still a little scared thinking about the past. She never shared this to anyone, not even to Lows.

"But you're not afraid of Zorua?" Summer pondered.

Lisa shook her head. "A Zorua didn't directly affect me back then. Plus, Bureiku is the total opposite of that Gengar. He's a mischievous creature, but he cares about me a lot and is willing to battle tougher opponents to protect me."

Summer sadly smiled, which Lisa took notice of and became worried.

"Oh, did I say something I shouldn't have, Summer?"

"Oh no, Lisa. It's just that...you're a really brave person." Summer replied.

"R-Really? Why do you say that?" She was surprised to hear that. She was never considered a brave person before.

Lisa's new friend took a deep breath as Yuki gently placed her hand on Summer's shoulder. "I...got my fear of both Vulpix and Chimecho from a traumatic event. But I still have some issues seeing them, even though they don't look evil. Hearing about your experience with Zorua, you're more willing to move on from your trauma, even though you're still scared of Gengar."

"Summer's right, Lisa. You may be worried about doing well in Contests, but after hearing about what happened to you, you're much stronger than that."

 _I-I guess that is true..._

Lisa thought as she beamed, "You know what? You're right. Maybe I should do the Goldenrod City Contest. After some more training, I know I can do well!"

Yuki laughed. "No matter the outcome, you won't be disappointed."

"Girls!" Garam called from the door. "It's time for the Pokémon to come in for dinner!"

"Coming!" The three girls returned the baby Pokémon and entered the nursery.

Lisa said, "Thanks for the advice and encouragement, Summer and Yuki. I have to stay here and help with dinner, but I hope we see each other again."

The trio embraced in a group hug. Yuki replied, "Of course, Lisa! I look forward to seeing you in a Contest."

After that, she separated from them as she and her Pokémon followed Garam through the north door. She finished the work for the nursery, including watching over the other Baby Pokémon to make sure they were okay, and helping the elderly couple to make dinner.

After the work was done, Lisa bid farewell to the couple as they thanked her for the help. Compared to earlier, she felt way happier and confident.

After she saw Lows, she knew that the first thing she would say was, "I'm ready to participate in the contest!"


	15. Johto 13

**Despite reaching the next destination, Goldenrod City, the team was still mainly devastated towards their loss of a teammate. However, thanks to Surfer, the team recovered and hoped for the best in the future. On the other hand, Lisa, who was unsure whether she should participate in the contest, received help from her two new friends and decided to join. It was the contest day and Lows watched his travelling companion for her first contest. How will Lisa do in there?**

 **Chapter 13 - It's Show Time!**

After our team's recovery, we trained harder than usual. Not only for our own good, but also for Grace too. For sure, we want to do better than we did before.

Lisa had been training hard too. She had registered for the contest, and she hoped to bring out a performance that would satisfy the audience and herself as well. However, she tended to train on her own. I assumed that maybe she was still slightly shy to show her tricks. I understood that, but I knew she was a great trainer, and she could do well if she stepped up a little more.

The day before the contest, we were having our dinner after a tiring day of training. I looked at her and noticed something different from her as I asked, "You seem to be more tired than usual. What's up with that?"

"O-Oh, am I?" She stopped eating as her face turned red, "I'm sorry about that. It's just... I've been training a lot. Also, as the day got closer, it just seemed like I have trouble sleeping well."

"There's no need to be so nervous, Lisa." I comforted her, "It's just your first time, and you'll have many more chances in Johto! Whatever the results are, you know that there's one guy that will always support you." I pointed at myself as Lisa giggled.

"I guess you're right. Thanks, Lows."

"No problem, Lisa." I smiled as we continued with our dinner.

* * *

 **The next day...**

I followed Lisa to the Contest Hall, located at the eastern part of the city. This area consisted of stores selling Seals, Pokémon Contest memorabilia, and grooming supplies. It was certainly a heaven to Coordinators and Contest Lovers.

At the end was a large domed building with dark gold paint accented with red borders. A large pink ribbon with two bows and a gold pin in the center was mounted over the double glass doors.

"Is the the Goldenrod Ribbon?" I asked Lisa, who had her attention towards the ribbon.

"Yeah, it should be. I don't have high hopes on getting it, I just want to have a decent performance."

"People like you shouldn't have high hopes for anything." Suddenly, a voice interrupted our conversation. We turned to see the bully, Taylor Rose.

"H-Hey, Taylor. Are you here to watch the contest?" Lisa tried to stay calm as she asked her.

"Why would I waste my time watching some contest like this? I'm here to battle the gym leader, and I'm going to get the badge with ease. Unlike you, you would probably lose the contest. Don't even consider trying!" She laughed as she went towards the gym and left us.

"Lisa, are you alright?" I worriedly asked as I looked at the girl, who was lowering her head.

"I-I'm alright." She raised her head as she said, "I will try my best for the first time."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it!" I encouraged her.

"I'll be going into the hall now. Hopefully, I'll see you there?"

"You'll be expecting my presence!" I waved my hands as Lisa walked towards the doors. Suddenly, she stopped and came back to me as she said, "Lows, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

"Help me take care of Chime, alright? This is his first time out in the public, and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable when we're performing." She said as she handed me a Pokéball.

"Alright! You can count on me." I nodded as I took the Pokéball.

"Thanks, Lows. See you later!" She said as she walked through the doors.

 _In the meantime, I don't have much to do... Maybe, I'll just take a look around._

I entered the building shortly after making this decision. There were displays and photos of previous Coordinators, which I wasn't too interested in. There was also an auditorium which consisted of six sections separated by a thin white barrier. I entered the auditorium and the place was already quite crowded. I tried to find a seat that gave me a decent view, and I succeeded. There were also not many people near the seat, so that was also a good thing. There was a concrete stage, which according to Lisa, was the battlefield. Pink curtains were draped along sides of the stage and hung over the massive TV screen. At the north end of the stage were three pink booths for the Contest judges.

At exactly 10:30, the lights dimmed and everyone clapped. When they returned, a young woman with long curly brown hair, fair skin, hazel eyes appeared at the center of the stage. She wore a short pink kimono with goldenrod flowers decorated around the hem, a long gold gown, and a pink headband. Behind her were the three judges. On the left was a middle-aged man with a black and gray slicked hair and a red suit with a black bowtie and a replica of the Goldenrod Ribbon pinned in his lapel. In the middle was a bald man with a gray suit and red tie, squinted eyes, and a big smile. And finally on the right was Nurse Kogane, who was if I wasn't mistaken, the head nurse at the Pokémon Center. She had long golden blonde hair, blue eyes, and a goldenrod flower pin on her nurse cap.

"How's everyone doing?" The woman on stage shouted into her white headset as she also appeared onscreen. Her upbeat voice made the crowd roar enthusiastically, which wasn't the sound that I really enjoyed listening. "Welcome to the Goldenrod City Pokémon Contest, our first Contest this year for the Johto Region! My name's Jadrian, and I'll be your hostess for all of the Contest Johto Region! If you're new to the Contest world, let me give you a brief summary of what to expect!

We hold Pokémon Contests at five to seven cities within a region. Contests are done for a week in one city, then we rotate every month between three sets of judges to allow for Coordinators to travel on time and to allow for Pokémon Contests in the other regions to keep going during the year. In every Contest, we have two rounds: appeals and battle. The appeals round is where our twenty-four Coordinators perform with a Pokémon to showcase that Pokémon's unique traits and moves! Afterwards, the judges will score the performances, and the Top 8 will move on to the battle round. Here, Coordinators will battle against each other in five minute rounds judged on a point system by our judges. They will use their Pokémon's attacks to deplete their opponent's points. The battle is either decided by a knockout or whoever has more points at the end of the round. At the end, the winner will receive this lovely Goldenrod Ribbon!"

She showed us the pink ribbon, which looked prettier than the sign outside. After a round of applause, Jadrian said, "Our judges today are Mr. Contesta, the President of Contest Activities and head judge of this group, Mr. Sukizou, the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, and our guest judge, Nurse Kogane from the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center! Now enough with the introduction and on to the appeals round!"

After saying that, she went towards the west side and pointed at the TV screen as she introduced the players before they performed. The first contestant was already doing so well: She was showing tricks that I had never seen before, and I could tell you, they were nothing like battles. In battles, it was all about countering, dodging and attacking. In contests, it was about showing beautiful combinations of moves, and the ability to shine among the audience.

 _Maybe, I can apply those strategies while I'm battling too... I think I should ask Lisa about that later._

Suddenly, Jadrian's voice broke my thoughts as she introduced, "Next up, we have the new Coordinator who will try to achieve the best results for her first contest. Please welcome Lisa Karame from Viridian City!"

The audience politely clapped as I clapped along as well. I then looked towards the stage as a girl with a pink dress, red strawberry earrings and red heeled sandals walked towards the middle of the stage.

 _That's her... She looks great..._

She took out a Pokéball that was decorated with water splashes. She looked at it and nodded before throwing it into the air, sending out Suiryoku.

"Suiryoku, let's start off with Hail!" Suiryoku's body glowed light blue as snow started to fall around the stage.

"Ice Beam in spears!" Suiryoku nodded as he released the attack from his mouth, but instead of the ice beam I was expecting, ice spears came from his mouths as they were shot towards the battlefield. The spears seemed to have a glowing energy as an added effect from Hail.

 _That's kinda cool..._

Lisa took another deep breath as she commanded, "Suiryoku, now! Water Gun!"

Suiryoku sprayed the water towards the spears, and landing on every one of them without fail. The ice spears absorbed the water, as they started to glow brightly. In just a few seconds, the combination exploded as the beautiful water splashes surrounded the battlefield, forming an awing sight.

The audience cheered for the decent performance performed by Lisa and her Pokémon.

The judges started to talk about her performance. Mr. Contesta started, "You seemed to be a little nervous for your first time, but it wasn't a bad attempt! Keep it up!"

"It is a nice try, but hopefully we can see your confidence show the next time you perform." Mr. Sukizou said.

"It's a great performance, but I hope next time, you can show your bond with your Pokémon a little more!" Nurse Kogane remarked.

"A decent performance from Lisa Karame! Thank you, Lisa and Suiryoku! Let's move on to the next competitor!" After the rest of the performances were done, the judges discussed about the results for the next round. After a few moments, Jadrian walked up the stage as she announced the contestants moving on to the next round. I was getting more nervous as Lisa's name wasn't getting called out.

"The last contestant moving on to the battles round is... Azura!" The audience cheered as I sighed in disappointment. I saw Lisa on the stage with a disappointed expression too as she left the stage with the others. I immediately left my seat as I went out of the lobby. I needed to see if she was alright.

I waited outside the Contest Hall as Lisa slowly walked out with Suiryoku behind her. He was comforting her, "Lisa, it's fine! We did pretty well."

"H-Hey, Lisa. Here's Chime's Pokéball." I was going to comfort her, but instead what came out of my mouth was this sentence.

"Thank, Lows." She took it as she went towards a bench and sat on it. I sat beside her as I stayed by her side.

"A-Are you alright?" I said, worried about her.

"Just... disappointed, that's all. I thought I could pull it off... Maybe Taylor's right..."

Just as I thought, she was affected by her words, after all. I petted her and said, "You did well. All you need is confidence."

"Are you sure? I don't know..." She replied.

"Look, Lisa. If you're not thinking like that, I will always tell you about this." I looked at her, "You did amazing. It's a really great try, and I'm proud of you."

That slightly calmed her down as she said, "That's great that you appreciated my performance..." Tears started to form in her eyes. "T-Thank you, Lows."

She suddenly went and hugged me as my eyes widened, surprised by the sudden gesture. I awkwardly returned the hug and as she broke it, she said, flustered, "I'm sorry about that..."

I grinned, "It's alright. Let's help each other in the future! I'll help you to improve, and you can help me with battling too."

"Yeah, that would be great. I want to try again to get the ribbon." She replied.

"I think we should take a break for today. It's been a tiring day, after all. Let's fix your mistakes tomorrow!"

"Sure thing!" Lisa grinned and as we walked back to the PokéCentre.

* * *

 **The day after the contest...**

"Firstly, attire!" I discussed about the mistakes that I felt she made during the contest with Lisa, "I felt like the attire was beautiful, but it didn't suit you."

"I agree. I felt kinda uncomfortable wearing it too."

"Then what kind of things do you like to wear?" I asked as Lisa thought about it for a moment. She seemed to find the answer, but her face started turning red.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Not too much... But are you sure if I say it, you won't get weirded out?"

"What are you talking about? Everyone has their own tastes!" I encouraged her.

"Alright then. I-I like wearing white dresses, and with just a little add-ons. I don't like the attractive dressing, but most of the contestants wear like that..." She said.

"Who said that contestants must always wear attractively? People stand out in their own ways. What you said is completely fine!"

"I guess you're right." Lisa thought about it and agreed.

"Let's go to the Goldenrod Department Store and see what we can find there." After I said that, we walked to the Goldenrod Department Store, and it didn't take long for us to reach there. I restocked some healing items and repels before we went to the clothing store. Lisa picked the dress she liked as she went towards the dressing room to try it out.

"Lows, I'm done." She said as I looked towards her, who was wearing a white dress with simple design, yet it suited her a lot.

 _Wow... She definitely looked beautiful wearing that dress..._

"Lows, how do I look?" Lisa broke my thoughts with her question. She was getting worried whether her taste was alright.

"Y-You look great, so much better than you were during your p-performance." I said, stuttering. She giggled as she said, "That's a relief. I guess I'll get this dress then."

After paying for it, we went to the earrings store and bought a pair of silver cloud earrings: I felt like that suited her. Then, we got a pair of white-heeled sandals, which was one of her favourites.

After a shopping spree, we went back to the PokéCentre and put our things back into our respective rooms. After that, we went outside as I said, "Alright, it's time to build up your confidence!"

"How do you do that?" She replied.

"Well, you could start off by practicing in front of me! That would work better, I'm sure of it." I encouraged her.

"But... what if I screw up? Wouldn't you laugh at me?"

"Lisa, you know that I won't laugh at you! Besides, it's better to make mistakes here than to make mistakes during the actual performance. It's your stage, your time to shine, and you have to show them who you are!"

"I guess you're right. Alright... Go, Suiryoku!" Lisa sent out her starter as they practiced, and I gave out my opinions.

Slowly but surely, she was improving better and better. She seemed to be calmer as the practice session continued. We also got some new combinations for Suiryoku, which would be useful for the appeal round. Also, I helped out Lisa for the battle rounds as well. Hopefully, Lisa could win the ribbon in the next contest.

* * *

"We're back again with day 3 of the Goldenrod City Pokémon Contest! I'm Jadrian, and we are with the judges once again! May we see new challengers and familiar faces striving for victory today!"

Coordinator after coordinator went on the stage and appealed. I was anticipating for Lisa's appeal: _I hope she does well..._

After what felt like forever, Jadrian announced, "Next up, we have the coordinator who went on the stage once again to prove herself after Day 1's loss! Please welcome Lisa Karame from Viridian City!"

 _Lisa, you can do this!_

My eyes never went off the stage as Lisa, who was wearing her white dress, silver cloud earrings and white-heeled sandals appeared in front of the audience. She smiled as she threw Suiryoku's Pokéball: She looked much more confident than before.

"Suiryoku, it's show time!" Suiryoku came out of his Pokéball, excited to show them their improvement. The music started as Suiryoku started to dance cheerfully. Lisa giggled as she followed his movements too. Their movements were exactly the same as the audience were positively affected by the happy dance.

I giggled too. The dancing idea was suggested by me when I saw that Suiryoku always liked to dance during our practice session. It took a while for them to coordinate well, but the results were worth it.

As they did the final spin, Lisa commanded, "Suiryoku, Water Gun and Ice Beam!"

Her starter immediately obeyed as they finished the spin, spraying water around the stage. He then released the ice beam but instead of shooting it into the sky, the ice made contact with the water on the stage and formed a wide icy floor.

After that, Suiryoku ran as quickly as possible as he jumped into the icy floor. The momentum caused him to slide around the icy floor. He seemed to have no problem maintaining his balance as he happily skated in a circle pattern. Lisa smiler as she saw everything was going fine for het starter. Not only the audience liked it, they could tell that Suiryoku was having fun too.

My smile grew wider, as I thought about how we got this idea...

* * *

 **Flashback...**

"Besides dancing, maybe there are some skills that Suiryoku could use in the appeal." I suggested.

"You think so? All I know about him is that he loves dancing to death..." Suddenly, she thought about something as she said, "Oh, wait!"

"You thought of something?" I smiled.

"Yeah! Suiryoku and I love ice skating. He's pretty good at it too! However... How are we going to show his ability?"

"Hmm..." I thought about it as I looked at Suiryoku, "Hey, maybe this plan could work! Suiryoku, can you come here for a second?"

"Sure thing!" He happily walked towards me as I said, "Can you make an icy floor around here using Water Gun and Ice Beam?"

"Let me give it a try!" He happily said as Lisa was surprised by my idea, "Are you sure, Lows? That idea sounds crazy!"

"Crazy, but it could work!" I said as I looked at Suiryoku, who was spraying water around the floor. He then released the ice beam directly towards there and soon, the water started to freeze...

* * *

Back to the performance, Lisa still had one last trick off her sleeve.

"Suiryoku, Hail!" Her starter immediately did an impressive backflip as his body glowed light blue. It started to snow around the stage.

"Let's finish off with Water Gun!" Suiryoku immediately sprayed the water in a slow pace with a certain pattern. The water slowly turned into snowflakes thanks to the Hail effect as they fell around the lobby. The audience awed in amazement looking at the beautiful sight.

Suiryoku then left the icy floor, as the Hail stopped and the icy floor started to melt and evaporate into the air. Everyone cheered for the great performance and her improvement.

Mr. Contesta remarked, "This is a huge improvement compared to last time! We could see that you really enjoyed the stage too.

"It is definitely great to see this performance. The stage felt alive when you and Suiryoku were performing." Mr. Sukizou smiled.

"It seemed like you listened to my advice: It was clearly shown that you and your Pokémon had a fun time performing together, and that is a great sight to see!" Nurse Kogane said.

After Lisa left the stage and the other coordinators performed, the results came out, and...

"Lisa Karame is moving on to the battles round!" Without a doubt, she was able to make it this time as her face appeared on the TV screen. I cheered quietly as I waited for the next part.

After that, the battles round began. I was amused to see the different style of battling in contests. The battle part followed the 5 minute timer and points system. Both Coordinators started with full points, then they were reduced depending on the combinations and strategies they use during the battle. More points seemed to be reduced if the Coordinator couldn't counter the attacks. The winner was either decided on who has the most points or if a Pokemon faints.

Lisa seemed to be clear on what she was doing, as she was able to win the first two rounds. Without ourselves knowing, she was at the finals!

* * *

"You know, I'm glad that I joined Lisa's team." Chime suddenly remarked as I looked at him.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I let him out to watch the battles round too? He needed to learn about it for the future as well, anyway.

"Why is that?"

"Well, she is a nice trainer. She wouldn't force me to do things that I didn't want. I was quite playful in the team, but she accepted my behaviour."

"Yeah, she is a great friend. I'm glad I met her." I replied.

"Oh?" Chime stared at me as I felt uncomfortable, "Why the staring, Chime?"

"Don't you consider Lisa... as a really important person?" He looked at me with an smirk on his face.

"Yeah, she is..." I caught on what he meant though, as I continued, "But we're just friends. Heck, it's not the best time to think about romance when I'm 11!"

"Aww... Let's focus on the finals then." Chime pretended to be upset as I giggled. As I turned on my attention towards the contest, I was shocked to realize that there was only one minute left, with both Coordinators left with 25 points left.

"Chime, you distracted me for too long!" I said, pretending to be angry.

"I'm sorry..." He chuckled as he apologized halfheartedly.

"It's okay." I laughed. I wouldn't get mad at him at all: He had a personality that I really liked.

"Hibana, burst the Ember!" Hibana nodded as she released fire from different directions, but aiming at a certain target.

"Joseph, use Fire Spin around you to avoid being damaged!" Joseph the Magby started to form a fire barrier surrounding him, and as the flames got closer, they were absorbed by the surrounding fire barrier, making his defense stronger.

"What a play! The Fire Spin was able to absorb the energy of Ember, defending Joseph from the attack!" Jadrian said as Lisa's points dropped to 15 percent.

"Joseph, it's time for Smokescreen, then use Feint Attack!"

Before the first attack was launched, Lisa was prepared for it, "Hibana, don't get nervous! Use Double Team!"

As the attack was launched the smoke surrounded Hibana, she forced herself to form clones of herself as one of the clones got attacked by Joseph. However, Hibana herself was fine as the clones disappeared.

"Double Team decreased the chance of the Pokémon itself getting attacked even when vulnerable, which was quite an life-saving strategy!" Jadrian continued her commentary as Lisa's opponent, Jackson was down to 15 percent as well.

"Hibana, Quick Attack!" Hibana dashed towards the Magby, only to be easily countered by a Smokescreen attack. Lisa was down to 5 percent. It was certainly getting nerve-racking, especially when there was only 20 seconds left.

"Alright, let's finish off with Ember!" The Magby released the flames towards the Vulpix, but Hibana and her trainer both grinned. I smiled too, knowing what was going to happen.

Instead of defending, she took the attack. Her body glowed red as she seemed to be stronger.

"Jackson, looks like you forgot the ability Flash Fire." Jackson was caught off guard by Lisa's words as Lisa smiled, "Hibana, now for a fast Quick Attack!"

The Vulpix suddenly dashed a lot more faster than before, and she was able to hit the Magby before he could defend himself.

"What a plot twist! It was Lisa's plan all along to make her opponent feel comfortable, and waited for him to make a mistake! The tables have turned!" Jadrian said as Jackson's points was down to zero percent.

"And... there we have it! Lisa Karame and Hibana was able to turn the tables at the last ten seconds, and became the victor of today's contest!" The TV screen showed Lisa and Hibana as "WINNERS" when Jadrian announced Lisa as the winner. The audience cheered as Lisa happily shook hands with her opponent, and celebrated with Hibana and Suiryoku.

"Thank you all for coming today, and tune in for the next Goldenrod Contest tomorrow! Goodbye!"

I left the lobby after the crowd disappeared, as I waited for Lisa outside the hall. Lisa then appeared with a huge smile on her face.

"Lows, I did it!" She happily said.

"I know that you can do it! I'm proud of you." I replied.

"That was a risky move in the end, but I'm glad it worked." She grinned, "How are you with Chime?"

"Well, he is definitely a great company for me. Thanks for letting me spend time with him." Chime happily cried upon hearing me say that.

"No problem! I should thank you for taking care of him." She returned Chime as she said, "Let's head back to the PokéCentre. It was fun, but I'm exhausted!"

"Sure! Let's relax for the day." I accepted her suggestion as we happily walked back to the PokéCentre.

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How did you think about the contests?**

 **What do you think was the factor that Lisa was able to improve?**

 **How do you think of Chime?**


	16. Johto 14

**For Lisa's first contest, it didn't end up well but fixing a few mistakes with Lows, she was able to obtain the Goldenrod Ribbon in her second try. Lows was preparing for the upcoming gym battle, but what he saw on his way back to the PokéCentre made him curious, as he tried to see what was happening**.

 **Chapter 14 - Suspicious Movements**

"Lows?" Lisa suddenly asked when we were having our dinner after she won her first contest.

"Yeah, what is it?" I replied.

"When will you be battling the gym leader in Goldenrod? I heard that she would be very strong." Lisa said.

"Oh, I'm actually planning to battle her in a few days. I might just reserve a gym battle later."

"That's great! You can train before the gym battle starts, and when it does, I will definitely come and support you."

"Thanks! I need you to help me out with combinations of moves as well."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"I figured that the combinations of moves that you used during your appeal could be useful for battles too. Therefore, I would like you to teach me about those combinations."

"Sounds good! I will teach you about it during your training." She giggled.

After finishing our meal, we went and reserved for a gym battle, which will be happening in two days. In the meantime, we could train whenever we wanted.

"I'll start training tomorrow. Will you come and help me?" I asked.

"Definitely! I'll help you just like how you helped me for the contest." She quickly replied.

"I'll see you then!" I smiled as we separated ways for that day.

* * *

The next day, Lisa was there just in time as I started my training for the gym battle. I heard that the gym leader may be a girl, but she could be way stronger than other gym leaders out there with her Normal types. Besides, I knew that every gym leader was strong based on my experience in Hoenn.

"What do you want to know about?" Lisa asked.

"I would like to know about the different uses of Ice Beam first. For example, releasing the attack as the form of spears, or even other ways to use Ice Beam... That could distract the opponent or make it vulnerable."

"Sure! I taught Suiryoku ways to use Ice Beam in various ways, and that definitely worked out well. It might take a while, but I supposed that Surfer can do a great job in learning new things." She replied as she sent out Suiryoku and asked, "Can you teach Surfer ways to use Ice Beam?"

"Sure thing, Lisa! It's an honour!" Suiryoku happily nodded as I sent out Surfer, who was eager to learn from Suiryoku. As Surfer was trying to get the hang out of it, I continued, "Do you think there is any combinations my Pokémon can use?"

"Hmm... Let me check." She checked my Pokémon's moves as she found a combination, "Does Woody have high speed?"

"Yeah, he's pretty fast. Why?"

"No, I mean the speed of switching moves. If he has enough speed... He could catch his opponent off guard with an Aerial Ace attack, then quickly switch it to Leaf Blade and attack before it recovers. It could work well towards Pokémon who has the type disadvantage."

"That sounds cool! You agree too, don't you, Woody?" I asked Woody, who was just sent out by me.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great combination. I'm going to train my speed for that combination." He replied.

"Lisa, you're great at these." I complimented her as she blushed and said, "T-Thanks."

After that, we trained hard to complete our objectives: Getting stronger and trying to learn new things that Lisa suggested. The progress seemed to be great, and we were happy about what we had done for that day.

It was in the late afternoon, as I was tired but satisfied with the results. I suggested, "Lisa, I think we are good for today. Let's get some rest in the PokéCentre."

She agreed my suggestion as we walked along the road back to the PokéCentre. I suddenly thanked her, "Thank you, Lisa. You helped us a lot today."

"I-I did?" She said, surprised by what I said.

"Yeah, definitely! Your ideas are great for battling, and I knew it's going to be great when they are used in the gym battle. Thank you so much, Lisa!"

"N-No problem!" She was slightly flustered, but she still responded with a smile on her face.

We continued walking towards the PokéCentre, until I saw someone familiar.

"Hey, isn't that..." I pointed at the trainer as Lisa recognized him as well. He turned to us and he was surprised to see us too.

"It's you two! How are you two doing, Lows and Lisa?" The male trainer happily greeted us.

"Not doing too bad! It's great to see you again, Jeverson." We were happy to see each other, as Lisa politely nodded too.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"Just checking out the city for my third badge. What about you?"

"Same here, actually. You are fast!" I was surprised at his speed as I thought about Sip, who obtained ten badges in just two to three months during the Hoenn League.

"My Pokémon improved a lot to get me this far." He smiled.

"We are going back to the PokéCentre. Wanna come along?" I offered.

"Sure! I was just finished checking out the city, anyway." He happily accepted as we walked back to the PokéCentre.

We were about to reach the PokéCentre, until I suddenly noticed something weird. A man was wearing unusually suspicious as he was looking around his surrounding under a mask. After that, he left the place and walked towards a certain direction.

"Hey... Don't you think that person is slightly... suspicious?" Jeverson noticed that too and asked me, as I nodded as a response.

My instincts told me that something was wrong, and I was determined to find out what it was. I asked, "Lisa, can you go to the PokéCentre alone? We have something to check on."

Although confused, Lisa nodded as she said, "Alright then. Stay safe, you two."

"We will. Thanks, Lisa." After separating with Lisa, we slowly followed the man, hoping to find out what he was up to. After stalking him for a while, we saw him entering a house. The house appeared to be abandoned as we immediately felt suspicious. Without saying anything we tried to peak through the window, only to realize that it was covered with old curtains.

"I think I heard people arguing in there, Lows." Jeverson whispered.

"Let's continue listening to their conversation. Perhaps we can fish out some information." Jeverson nodded to my reply as we both tried our best to listen to them without being noticed.

I heard a deep male voice, "You took too long to come back! Where are the things I told you to bring back?!"

Another voice was heard from the house, "Don't worry... Here they are." As he said that, I heard the sound of several objects hitting against a surface, which I assumed was a wooden table.

"That less?! We told you to get more than that!" The deep male voice shouted, appearing to be very angry.

"Why don't you go and collect them?! You know that capturing strong wild Pokémon is harder than you think!"

"I don't care! You gotta get more before we send them to the grunts of Neo Team Rocket!"

When I heard the familiar villain team being mentioned, I knew what the conversation was about, as I started to become angry, thinking about what happened to Grace. However, I took a deep breath, as I knew I needed to calm down to stop those people.

"What should we do, Lows?" Jeverson asked. He knew that those people were up to no good as well after hearing their conversation.

"Do you think we can stop them?" I asked.

"I mean, I have been training a lot... I think with you, we can do it if we work together." Jeverson said.

"Alright then..." I said as I got closer to the door, "Prepare for a battle."

I knocked the door, as the voice appeared again, "This guy better get more Pokémon than you, you Slakoth!" As the footsteps got closer, the door got opened as a man said, "How is it... Wait, you're not one of us!"

I immediately took out a Pokéball as Jeverson did the same. I sent out Woody as I said, "Release those Pokémon! They shouldn't be used by evil people like you!"

"Trying to stop us, I see. How cute." The man grinned as he took out a Pokéball, "We'll show you why kids like you shouldn't be messing around with adults." He then turned back and yelled, "Slakoth, help me out too!"

"Fine..." The man that was called "Slakoth" showed up while holding a Pokéball. Then, they sent out their Pokémon together: One being a Vigoroth, a Pokémon from the Hoenn region, and a Tyranitar.

Woody's expression changed as he saw the Tyranitar. I could tell he was holding back his anger, and I immediately knew that the Tyranitar was involved in injuring Grace.

"Jeverson, ready to battle?" I asked.

"You bet! Let's battle, Mercury!" Jeverson replied as he sent out an Azumarill, which I assumed was caught by him after we separated.

I didn't take long to make the first move, "Woody, Aerial Ace!"

Woody immediately became engulfed in light as he tried to slash the Vigoroth. However, the Vigoroth predicted his movements as he slammed him back.

"He's... a tough one..." Woody said while he tried to recover, which he managed to succeed.

"Mercury, let's gain on that Tyranitar! Bubblebeam!"

"Assist Mercury, Woody! Giga Drain!"

As the Azumarill blew the bubbles and hit the Rock and Dark type, Woody didn't hesitate as he managed to release the seeds towards the Tyranitar before he could recover. Energy was sapped from him as Woody started to heal up.

"Tyranitar, remember that you will get revenge on that Sceptile! Rock Slide!" Large boulders were thrown towards our Pokémon and hit them, which they slightly winced in pain, but they were far from giving up.

"Take down that Tyranitar first, Woody! Leaf Blade!"

"Mercury, do the same with Aqua Tail!"

Woody readied the attack as he rushed towards the Tyranitar, who was completely ready to counter his attack. However, things changed when the Tyranitar was suddenly slammed by the Azumarill's tail, which Woody took the advantage as he striked at the right time. The leaf blade was slashed directly at the Rock and Dark type's face.

The Tyranitar roared in pain as he fainted, unable to withstand the combinations of Woody and Mercury's attacks.

"Mercury, Double-Edge!" The Azumarill rushed at full speed for a strong body tackle, however, the Vigoroth suddenly became outlined in orange. The attack bounced back to the Azumarill as Mercury was sent flying in the air. As he fell onto the ground, the Vigoroth rushed forward and released a Slash attack directly towards the Azumarill. The Azumarill struggled to recover as he lied on the ground, unconscious.

 _That Vigoroth's strength... I can't underestimate him._

"Woody, Giga Drain!" Woody released the seeds, only to be cut down by another Slash attack. The eager Vigoroth then try to attack Woody with a Fury Swipes attack, but Woody barely dodged it.

 _It seems like Vigoroth attacks after he countered an attack. Maybe..._

"Woody, do you think you mastered the combination yet?" I whispered.

"You mean the combination Lisa suggested? I've been training on it, and the progress is good, but I'm not sure if I got it yet." Woody replied.

"It's worth a try! Just do what I tell you, alright?" Woody nodded as he waited for my command.

"Woody, Agility, then Giga Drain!" I commanded. I knew speed was a key factor for that combination. After increasing his speed, he released the seeds again, only to get slashed by Vigoroth. The Vigoroth then started charging towards the Sceptile, ready to crush him.

That was when the combination came in.

"Woody, now!" Woody nodded as he surprised the Vigoroth with a sudden Aerial Ace attack. The impact pushed him back slightly as he went backwards. However, Woody wasn't able to ready a Leaf Blade attack before Vigoroth got up and attacked him with Fury Swipes.

"Woody!" I worriedly yelled as he struggled to keep his balance after the attack.

"Looks like your Pokémon is about to be down too. How about this... You two can get out of here safely, but you can't tell anyone about us!" The man smirked.

I didn't take another second to think about it, "No! There's no way I will allow your team to do bad things!"

"Then, I guess you force me to do this. Vigoroth, use-" The man tried to command, only to be cut off by a weird sound. The next thing we knew, the Vigoroth was under attacked by another Pokémon who used a powerful Psybeam attack. The attack was followed up by a giraffe-like Pokémon running towards him and crunched him. The Vigoroth obviously wasn't prepared for the attacks, as he fainted due to the powerful impact.

"Who was that?!" The man yelled in anger and looked around. After he saw what it was, he was stunned.

I looked at the same direction and saw the gym leader of Goldenrod City with a few policemen, ready to do their work.

"We found you at last, you Neo Team Rocket people! You two are under arrest!" The two knew they had nowhere to go as they were forced to get in the police car along with the policemen. After they were done with the capturing, the gym leader smiled and said, "It's great effort of you two to try stopping them, but next time, don't be too reckless anymore."

"We won't!" We both said.

"I know that you learnt your lesson. My name the Whitney, the Goldenrod Gym Leader. I'll be looking forward for you two to challenge me!" She smiled.

"Anyways, what do we do with those Pokémon?" Jeverson asked.

"We should release them, that's for sure." I suggested.

"I would help, but I have an upcoming battle in the gym. Can I trust you two on it?" Whitney asked.

"You can count on us!" Jeverson eagerly said.

"Alright then. I'll see you two soon!" The gym leader left as we took the Pokéballs and went to the route nearby the city. We released the Pokémon in there, as they eagerly went back to the wild.

"I guess that's settled..." Jeverson said.

"Yeah, it was tough, but I'm glad we helped to capture those people." I replied.

"I'm going back to the PokéCentre to heal Mercury. Are you coming along?"

"I'll check on them for a little longer. I'll see you there later, Jeverson."

"Alright, see you there!" Jeverson left as I looked at the Pokémon. Most of the Pokémon had left, except for...

"Wait, why isn't that Pokémon moving?" I asked as I saw a Mareep just staring at the grass, not making any movements at all.

I went closer to the Mareep, only to startle the frightened Pokémon. I comforted, "It's alright, Mareep. I'm not a bad person."

"A-Are you sure?" The scared Mareep said with a feminine voice.

"Yeah, my friend and I saved you from those people. Now tell me, why aren't you going back to the wild?" I asked softly.

"I-It's just... I was released by another trainer before I was captured..." She said, still quite traumatized by the incident.

"What? Are you sure that trainer won't be back for you?" I asked, angered by the trainer's action.

She looked away from me, but I could hear her thought, _"She would never be back from me... Never..."_

Feeling heartbroken, I looked at her, who was scared and unsure of what to do. I didn't hesitate a single bit as I said, "Mareep, come with me. I'll be a better trainer for you."

"A-Are you sure you're okay with that?" The Mareep asked.

"If you don't feel like staying in the team anymore after a while, I can find your trainer and convince her to let you rejoin them. My Pokémon are nice, don't worry about it." I said.

"A-Alright then..." The Mareep accepted my offer.

"I'll name you Star for now. Welcome to the team, Star." I captured her with the Pokéball as I held it tightly.

 _I won't let you get hurt here, Star._

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Star (Mareep, Female) Gentle Nature, moves: Thundershock, Growl, Tackle**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of the reunion with Jeverson Lukas?**

 **How do you think of the battle with Neo Team Rocket?**

 **Did you expect Star to be another member of Lows' team?**


	17. Johto 15

**During his training for the gym battle, Lows met Jeverson again and they found Neo Team Rocket who wasn't doing anything good. They tried to battle them and it didn't go too well, but the Goldenrod Gym Leader, Whitney came to the rescue. Releasing the Pokémon, Lows found out a Mareep was released by a selfish trainer and had nowhere to go. To make sure she was safe, Lows caught the Mareep, naming her Star. It was another battle day where Lows will do his best with his team.**

 **Chapter 15 - Normal yet Tough**

"Are you two alright?" Lisa was worried about us as we told her what happened a few hours ago.

"Yeah, of course we are! If we aren't, we probably wouldn't be here anymore!" Jeverson chuckled.

"I'm glad Whitney showed up too. She saved our life." I smiled, "She seems like a strong trainer, which makes me feel determined to battle her."

"You're battling her tomorrow, aren't you? Here is some information that might help you." Jeverson explained, "Whitney is a trainer that specializes in Normal type Pokémon. Although being Normal type, Whitney's Pokémon are without a doubt strong. Also, Whitney prefers second year trainers to use at least two female Pokémon. Wow, how weird..."

When I heard the last sentence, something hit me.

 _O-Oh, no..._

"I-I don't have two female Pokémon." I said, "Grace is recovering right now. Shadow is the only female Pokémon that can battle."

"Didn't you catch a Mareep a few moments ago?" Jeverson asked.

"T-That's true, but... she is too scared to battle right now. She's still traumatized by the event." I sighed.

"I guess you have to be ready to take a tough challenge, I guess." Lisa said, "I believe in you!"

"Thanks, Lisa." I took a deep breath and continued, "Let's set up the team for tomorrow."

We spent the night talking about strategies and the team I was going to use. _Whatever that happens, I will hopefully be ready for it._

* * *

"Help me take care of Star, alright?" I handed her Pokéball to Lisa, "I think you can easily befriend Pokémon easily, and she can be more comfortable with you."

"Sure thing, Lows." Lisa accepted the Pokéball.

"We'll be cheering for you up there!" Jeverson cheered.

"Thanks, everyone. Alright... here I go!" I said as I walked into the battlefield.

The familiar gym leader was ready for her challenger, as she saw me, she said, "Oh, it's you, the trainer I met yesterday. Thanks to you, we were able to arrest Neo Team Rocket. Although that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Are you going to use any female Pokémon?"

"I-I have only one female Pokémon for this battle." I nervously said.

"Oh? Don't you have any other female Pokémon?"

"I do... but..." I said as I looked towards the arena seat and pointed towards Star, who immediately shivered when Whitney looked at her, "She's one of the Pokémon that were captured by Neo Team Rocket yesterday. She's still traumatized by the incident."

"Hmm... Alright, I understand." She said as a smirk formed on her face, "However, that means you'll be facing quite a challenge today!"

"I'm ready for it." I replied.

The female referee stood on her designated place as she said, "This match will be a three on three singles battle between Lows from Pallet Town and Whitney, the Goldenrod Gym Leader. The challenger is allowed to switch his Pokémon and will have the first move. The winner will be decided when the opponent's Pokémon are unable to battle. Do you understand and agree to these rules, Lows?"

I didn't take another second to nod, as the referee announced, "The battle between Lows and Whitney will now begin! Trainers, choose your first Pokémon!"

"Let's battle, Shadow!" I said as my Dark type appeared in the battlefield. She examined her opponent, who was a Clefable named Michele.

"The battle between Shadow and Michele will now begin!"

"Shadow, Night Slash!" My Absol immediately charged up the attack and slashed her, only for the Clefable to feel almost nothing. At least Shadow was able to land a critical hit first thanks to her ability.

"Shadow, let's go for another one!" Shadow immediately tried rushing forward again, but Whitney saw that coming as she commanded, "Michele, Grass Knot!"

Sprouts of grass tied in a knot appeared in front of Shadow as she wasn't able to dodge it and tripped. Whitney then continued, "Metronome!"

The Clefable pointed her fingers up into in the sky and swayed her arms back and forth, creating a white energy. Suddenly, the white energy turned into a sinister beam of light as it hit the vulnerable Absol. She winced in pain upon getting hit by the super-effective attack.

"Alright! Perfect time for a Signal Beam!" Whitney cheered.

"Shadow, Payback!" Shadow immediately got up and hit the Clefable back, dealing more damage after getting hit by the Signal Beam. However, it definitely wasn't enough as my Absol took a step back.

"Michele, Sweet Kiss!" The Clefable winked as a pink Angel floated towards Shadow. I was shocked by the suddenly attack as the Sweet Kiss got closer. I knew it will make Shadow confused, and Shadow was going to take the attack, so I commanded...

"Shadow, Protect!" Shadow forcefully formed a barrier surrounding her as she was hit by the pink angel. She became dazed as she tried her best to maintain her balance.

"Ugh, we can't attack Shadow without removing that barrier! Michele, attack the barrier with Facade!"

Michele flew over to the barrier with an orange aura surrounding her as she started to tackle the barrier. As the barrier turned weaker and weaker, I was trying my best to get Shadow to snap out of the confusion.

As the barrier used up its last health to take another Facade attack, Shadow started to regain consciousness as she was ready for another attack.

"Shadow, Psycho Cut!" Shadow released a purple crescent-like blade of energy from its horn at the Clefable. The Clefable was forced to take the critical hit, as she was starting to get tired.

"Michele, Metronome!" Michele formed another white energy, however, the white energy went into her as she started to glow brightly.

 _Oh Arceus, is that..._

"Shadow, Protect-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence as the Clefable suddenly exploded, hitting the Absol and causing a huge layer of smoke. After the smoke dissipated, it was obvious that both Pokémon went down.

"Welp, guess the Metronome attack went a little too crazy." Whitney was shocked with how it turned out.

"Both Shadow and Michele are unable to battle! This battle is a draw!"

I thanked Shadow for her efforts as I didn't waste another second to send out my second Pokémon after returning Shadow.

"It's time to shine, Woody!" I threw his Pokéball while Whitney did the same. On the other side, a Girafarig appeared, who is a Pokémon found in Hoenn.

"The battle between Woody and Dot will now begin!"

"Woody, Agility!"

"Dot, do the same!"

The two Pokémon increased their speed and I knew this was going to be a battle of who was faster.

"Dot, Psybeam!"

"Woody, dodge with Aerial Ace!" The Psybeam came from her mouth, only for it to miss as Woody, who was engulfed by a white energy dashed around the attack and slashed the opponent.

"Dot, Agility!" Whitney knew her Pokémon wasn't as fast as Woody, as she tried to increase Dot's speed. I took the opportunity as I said, "Woody, Giga Drain!"

The seeds were successful to land at the vulnerable Girafarig as Woody recovered from the tiredness. At the same time, the Girafarig was getting more tired.

"Dot, now or never! Double Hit!" The Girafarig rushed towards Woody as she was ready to attack. From her movements, I realized that she eas using her tail to attack as I commanded, "Leaf Blade at her tail!"

Woody readied the sharp blade as he aimed directly at her tail. The tail attacked Woody only once, before Woody landed the blade right at the tail, damaging the Normal and Psychic type. The impact then pushed her back as she collapsed, proving that she was no match for the Grass type.

"Dot is unable to battle! Woody wins!"

"Nice job, Woody. Take a short rest." I was very happy with his improvement. Woody nodded as I returned him, before sending out my last Pokémon.

"Let's finish this, Power!" The Machoke appeared in the battlefield, as Whitney smiled, "If you thought of using a Fighting type to finish me off, then you are wrong. Let's show them, Jennie!"

A Miltank appeared in the battlefield, and I could tell from her expression that she wasn't going to go down easily without a fight.

"The battle between Power and Jennie will now begin!"

"Power, Seismic Toss!" Power tried to grab the Miltank, only to get pushed away by the Normal type. I gasped at the Miltank's strength as Whitney commanded with a grin, "Now you see what's up. Jennie, Body Slam!"

The Miltank leaped upwards and extended her body as she slammed the Fighting type. Not only it caused major damage, Power was also paralyzed by the powerful attack.

 _You got to be kidding me!_

"Jennie, Rollout!" Jennie curled into a ball and hurtled herself right towards Power. I was shocked at the speed as I commanded, "Power, counter with Rock Tomb!"

Power hurled the boulders towards Jennie, but Jennie didn't slow down a single bit as she slammed onto my Machoke.

My Machoke was panting hard, as he tried to fight through the paralysis. I knew it wasn't going to end well for him, so I told the referee, "I'm removing Power from the battle."

"Lows has decided to remove Power from the battle. Jennie wins!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to do much, especially when I have the type advantage..." Power sighed.

"It's alright, that Miltank is very strong. Let's see if Woody can take her down. Have a good rest." Power nodded as I returned him, took a deep breath and sent out Woody once again.

"You got this, Woody!"

* * *

 **On the other side...**

"This is intense! That Miltank's power is unbelievable..." Jeverson said, fully focused on the battle.

"It's all up to Woody now... I wonder if he can do it." Lisa said, worried.

"I'm sure he can. He's a strong Pokémon. That's why we chose him to battle today!"

"I'm worried about him not able to use the conbination I thought him." Lisa replied.

"Oh, that combination of Aerial Ace and Leaf Blade? Last time, he tried using it on Neo Team Rocket. He was close, but he wasn't able to do it." Jeverson said.

"I hope Woody can do it this time..."

"Guess we'll find out right now." Jeverson said, as their eyes never left the battlefield.

* * *

 **Back to the battle...**

"The battle between Woody and Jennie will now begin!"

"Woody, Agility!" I could tell Jennie was a fast Pokémon and Woody had to surpass her speed.

"Jennie, Rollout!" Jennie curled into a ball as she slammed onto Woody. However, Woody quickly got up after the attack as the Miltank slightly retreated.

"Woody, Giga Drain!" The Grass type launched the seeds, only for the Miltank to dodge it successfully.

Looks like Giga Drain won't work well here...

"Jennie, Body Slam!"

"Woody, counter with Leaf Blade!"

As Jennie tried to slam Woody into the battlefield, Woody was able to hit her back with the sharp leaf blade. However, the strength and weight of the Miltank slightly damaged him.

"Jennie, Rollout!" The Miltanm successfully landed the attack once again, hitting Woody back. However, he only slightly panted, still able to battle.

"Jennie, he's getting tired. Return!" She ran towards Woody, and I knew dodging wasn't the best move at this point. Suddenly, I remembered...

"Woody, let's try out the combination."

"Are you sure? I didn't succeed last time..."

"I believe in you, Woody!" I encouraged him.

He looked at the dashing Miltank as he gulped nervously. Then, he thought about the team who had high hopes for him in this battle. And also... his promise towards Grace: to become stronger for her.

 _It's time to show that I'm stronger than before!_

Woody took a deep breath, as a white energy engulfed him. With incredible strength, he slashed the Miltank, hitting her back. He then rushed right at the Miltank as he formed the sharp left blade much faster than before. He clearly knew what he was doing this time.

He quickly used the Leaf Blade and slashed right at the Miltank. The Miltsnk took a lot of damage as she winced in pain, but she was still able to get up. Woody wasn't letting his guard off either.

"Your Sceptile got some skills, I'm gonna say. However, we won't go down without this last move! Jennie, Rollout!"

"Woody, hit her back once again with Leaf Blade!"

The Miltank readied herself for one last attack, as Woody was ready to give out his all to counter this powerful attack.

Jennie coiled and hurtled right towards her opponent, having nothing to lose. Woody saw where she was coming from, aimed with the sharp leaf blade and finally, as the Miltank attacked him, he slashed the Miltank and the impact pushed them both back as they both collapsed.

 _One, two, three..._

When we all thought it was a tie, Woody suddenly moved as he tried to get up, which he succeeded. He panted hard, but proud of the results.

"Jennie is unable to battle! Woody wins! The winner is Lows from Pallet Town!" The referee announced as I went and prevented the tired Woody from collapsing.

"Thanks, Lows..." He said.

"No, thank you for trying so hard for the battle. I know you can do it!"

Woody smiled upon hearing my response. Whitney took out a gold diamond-shaped badge with a silver border as she said, "Your Sceptile and the other Pokémon did a great job. I was going to use Milk Drink, which makes Jennie regain health, but you played impressively and I decided to not use that. Here's the Plain Badge!"

I thanked her and put the badge in my Badge Case. She then said, "Although I wish the next time we battle, you can use more female Pokémon..."

"Oh yeah! Sure thing. I have two female Pokémon before, but one of them is injured by Neo Team Rocket and she's recovering right now..."

"Oh, that's terrible! I hope your Pokémon recovers soon. The entire region also hopes that Neo Team Rocket will get lost after knowing about them."

"Thanks. I hope so too..." I sighed.

Then, I bid farewell with Whitney, who wished me luck for my journey.

* * *

"Aww... Are you two leaving already?" Jeverson said as he looked at us, who had our bags with us, ready to leave.

"Yeah, we gotta go to the next city and continue our things. Sorry I'm not able to watch you battle, Jeverson." I apologized.

"It's alright, I'm just kidding! I know we will meet again soon. The next time we meet, let's have a battle!"

"You bet! Once again, thanks for helping me with Neo Team Rocket."

"No problem, Lows! See you next time!" Jeverson waved his hand as Lisa and I did the same before walking away from the beautiful Goldenrod City.

 _Let's see what awaits us, shall we?_

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Star (Mareep, Female) Gentle Nature, moves: Thundershock, Growl,Tackle**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **What do you think is the highlight of the battle?**

 **What will happen next in Lows' journey?**


	18. Johto 16

**Lows battled the Goldenrod Gym Leader, Whitney. Although Whitney was tough, Woody's combination saved Lows from losing and he earned the Plain Badge. On their way to Ecruteak City, he joined the Bug Catching Contest as he thought it was a normal Pokémon Catching Contest. However, he met someone who helped him to gain his courage for the contest. How will he do in the contest?**

 **P/S: Thanks to flblaziken for the collaboration and letting me use her OCs, Summer Scorcher and Yuki Mizu!**

 **Chapter 16 - Overcoming the Fear**

"What are you most excited about Ecruteak City, Lows?" Lisa asked while we were on our way to Ecruteak City, just casually taking a leisure walk.

"Hmm... I'm not too sure, actually. As I said, I don't know much about Johto..." I replied.

"I'm excited to watch the Kimono Girls' performance in the Ecruteak Dance Hall. I really like these kinds of performances." She said, a grin growing on her face.

"I'm not too interested in these kind of events, especially places with huge crowds after that happened..." I said, my voice getting softer and softer as I continued.

"Oh? Why is that, Lows? Is anything wrong?" She immediately became concerned.

"Well... it's because-"

Suddenly, we heard a bunch of voices from a certain direction, it was from the northern route, where a crowd was gathering in front of the metal archway of a massive park. I immediately grew slightly nervous.

"Hmm, that's weird... There's so many people here!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah, it sure is." I said, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Let's just try to go through it, I guess." Lisa suggested, which I anxiously agreed as we tried our best to get through it. After what seemed like forever, we finally went through the crowd, much to my relieve. We then continued walking and saw a green and yellow two-story building.

"What is that, Lisa?" I asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's the National Park Terminal. Do you want to check it out?"

"Sure, why not." I said as we walked into the building. The structure was very open; wooden tables and chairs were placed at the south side next to a roaring brick fireplace and three bookshelves. A flight of stairs led to a view platform overlooking the park, and a wooden counter opposite the chairs.

As we got closer the counter, a receptionist asked, "Howdy, trainer! would you like to participate in the contest?"

"I'm trying to go to the next city though..." I replied.

"Oh, come on, a contest won't harm! Please?" The receptionist asked, and knowing that I would feel bad if I reject her again, I nodded.

"Great! Here are the forms you need to fill in." She then gave me two sheets of paper: one was basic information and the Pokémon I was going to use, and the other was a liability waiver. Before filling the form, I asked Lisa, "Do you want to participate too?"

"No, I'm good." She rejected the offer nicely, which I was okay with it as I filled in the form. From what I could see, it should be a Pokémon Catching Contest. I chose Ziggs, who hadn't been battling for a while and felt like it would be a great time for him to practice. After filling out the papers, I received a bag with Pokéballs and a blue ticket inside. The Pokéballs had the letter "S" above the release button. I then separated with Lisa temporarily and joined the rest of the participants.

An elderly man and Bugsy, the Azalea Gym Leader stood on the observation platform. The former shouted, "Welcome everyone, to this Saturday's Bug Catching Contest! There should be plenty of Bug types roaming through the park today. The goal is to catch the rarest, strongest, or biggest Bug type Pokémon. You may catch multiple Pokémon, but you have to choose between the current or new Pokémon. Once you have chosen, you must release the other Pokémon. Each Trainer has received 10 Sport Balls and a colored ticket, which corresponds to the order in which you will enter the park.

We will begin with the Green Group, then the Red Group will go second, and the Blue Group will go last. The participants in each group will have thirty minutes to catch their Pokémon. Afterwards, I, another judge, and our favorite guest judge, Bugsy the Azalea Town Gym Leader, will judge the Pokémon. We will pick the best in each group, then an overall winner will be chosen from the tree top Trainers. Before and/or after your time in the park, feel free to relax and socialize with the other contestants until the results are announced. In a few minutes, the Green Group will enter National Park. So enjoy the contest and have fun!"

The audience clapped, but I wasn't. I already froze once he said what I didn't hope for him to say.

 _Did he say... Bug Catching Contest?_

 _Oh Arceus... I should've known..._

I started trembling, as I desperately tried to calm myself down but to no avail. I knew there's no way to forfeit now, and I had no one for help. Lisa was not here with me either.

If you didn't know, I had a fear of Bug type Pokémon due to a traumatic incident that happened when I was younger. Thinking that I had to get closer to Bug type Pokémon... That just made me feel scared.

I went to a chair and sat down, panicked that my turn was coming up soon. I wasn't aware of someone getting closer to me as I muttered, "Why did I enter this contest?" I was obviously in regret.

I suddenly heard a voice, "Hey, are you okay?"

I jumped and looked at the trainer in front of me. The female trainer had a light purple jacket that covered the light blue long sleeve shirt she was wearing. She had black-brown medium wavy hair and tan skin.

I looked at her brown eyes as I replied, "Oh! I'm fine! Don't worry about me." However, I could tell that my scared look didn't convince her.

She sat next to me as she asked. "Are you sure? I know we're strangers, but I can't stand to see you feeling so scared. I'm Summer."

My eyes lit up as I remembered the trainer from the news and Sip and Lisa, who interacted with her before. "Wait, you're Summer Scorcher? Oh my gosh! I can't believe I finally meet you in person! I heard so much about you from Sip and Lisa, and I followed your journey in Kanto! My name's Lows. Lows Landerson."

She chuckled. "So you're the friend they mentioned. I've always wanted to meet you too, Lows. I watched your battles when you were in the Hoenn League."

 _I-I never expected that..._

I rubbed his head. "Wow… A Trainer I admire appreciates and wants to help me… Then I guess it's okay if I tell you what's going on." I took a deep breath before expressing, "I...I have a fear of Bug types."

She was a little stunned, which I could understand. Who would participate in a Bug Catching Contest if he has a fear of Bug types? "Oh. If you don't mind me asking, why did you sign up for this Contest?" She asked.

"I thought it was a regular Pokémon Catching Contest! I guess I didn't read the papers carefully. And I can't withdraw… I don't know what to do..." I said as I became more anxious than before. It was obvious that the fear was overtaking me.

She sat next to me and tried to comfort me, "It's okay. Maybe this is a good thing. This Contest can help you overcome your fears."

"I don't know…"

She smiled softly. "You know, I'm trying to conquer my own fears. It may take a while, but I know it'll be better for me in the future. Try seeing it that way."

M-Maybe... Since there's no turning back now, I-I might as well go for it...

I thought about her advice and replied, "Maybe you're right. Thanks, Summer. I'll do my best."

{Will the Red Group please prepare to enter National Park?}

Summer stood up upon hearing the P.A. system. "Oh, I should get going. Is this your group, Lows?"

"No, I'm in the last one. Maybe I'll see you later. Good luck!" I replied.

"Thanks, you too. And remember, don't let your fears hold you back." Summer encouraged before leaving for the contest.

I was still slightly trembling, but I wasn't as scared as before. Maybe the support of a friend was what helped me.

 _Guess it's time to go for it..._

{Will the Blue Group please prepare to enter National Park?}

I went to the entrance to the field as I got ready. I wasn't rushing for it though, because of the crowd and needing some time to be ready mentally.

Once a man shouted, "Blue Group, your time starts... now!" everyone immediately dashed into the field with their Pokémon, while Ziggs and I slowly followed the others.

The field was huge to say the least, and Bug type Pokémon could be seen at some places. Some trainers were already trying to catch the Bug type Pokémon there. I was just standing there, not knowing where to go.

"Lows, are you alright?" Ziggs asked. He knew my fear and he was concerned about my condition.

"W-We have to just do it. We're in the contest, why not just go through our fears... I guess." I replied, as Ziggs had a smile on his face, showing the sign of support. I sighed as I tried to search for the Pokémon everyone has been searching for.

"I see a Weedle over there!" Ziggs said as he gave chase to it. I followed along as Ziggs was already battling the Weedle. Although it wasn't too big, it could be a nice start.

However...

I was just standing there, trying to focus on the Weedle but to no avail.

 _Oh, come on Lows! It's just a Weedle..._

The Bug type seemed to know that I was scared, as it used a String Shot attack towards me, startling me as I fell onto the ground. The Weedle then ran away while it had the chance.

"Lows!" Ziggs dashed towards me and checked if I was okay. I sat there, face buried in between my legs.

"I'm sorry, Ziggs..." I apologized, not even looking up to face my Linoone.

"There's no need to apologize, just get up and let's go!" He didn't give up as he told me to continue.

"I'm not sure if I can... Whenever I lock eyes with a Bug type, I just immediately... become scared." I sighed.

"Lows, this is different from what you experienced before! Last time, you didn't have anyone with you when you're facing the incident. However, this time..." He said as he put his paw on my hand, "I'm here with you for this time."

The warmth from his paw was transfered to my hand. I raised my head and looked at my Normal type, one of my most loyal partners. Looking at him, I thought, _No matter how playful you are at times, no matter how doubtful you are to your own skills..._

 _You are always my precious friend._

 _I never regretted choosing you back in Hoenn._

 _It's times like this that proved me that my choice is correct._

I stood up and said, "You know what? You're right. Let's go for it!"

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Ziggs cheerfully said.

We went to a pile of grass that surprisingly no one had been there as we started searching. Ziggs was pretty good at looking through grass, and he started battling another normal-size Weedle.

"Lows, it's your time!" He said after using an Iron Tail attack.

I took out a Sport Ball, tried to face the Bug type as I looked at the Bug type. The Bug type tried to do the same thing: Using String Shot towards me, which slightly startled me as I threw the Pokéball, which landed slightly away from the target.

I sighed, but Ziggs encouraged, "Hey, that's a nice try! At least you took your first step, now things will get better!"

His enthusiasm affected me as I recovered, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

It wasn't long before he found a Caterpie as he started to battle it. I observed him as he battled to find the right time. He hit the Caterpie softly with Iron Tail, but the impact still pushed the Caterpie onto the ground.

 _Here goes nothing..._

I took out the Sport Ball and aimed at the Caterpie. After I was ready to face the Caterpie, face my fears...

I threw the Sport Ball towards the Caterpie as it hit the Caterpie. A beam absorbed it into the ball and shook...

One, two, three...

The Sport Ball stopped shaking and I was cheering quietly. Ziggs was happy as he dashed and jumped to my chest. I fell onto the grass, chuckling at his action and petted him.

"Let's try to catch something else." I said, feeling better as Ziggs was with me. He had that cheerful personality that lightened everyone up.

"Hmm..." Ziggs started to look for a big catch through the grass, "...Oh, I see something big!"

He dashed towards a direction, and I saw a Scyther appearing in front of my eyes.

 _We could actually have a chance of winning if we catch this... B-But, it's a Scyther!_

I nervously gulped as I saw Ziggs seemed to have troubles battling the tough Bug and Flying type. He was slightly panting as he said, "I can try to make it easier to catch, but that's all I can do..."

I petted him, "Do your best, Ziggs."

Ziggs nodded as his tail glowed silver again and tried to hit his opponent, only for the Scyther to hit him back with a Wing Attack. While distracted, it was supposed to be the best time for me to strike.

But I didn't.

I was still scared to face such a big and fierce Bug type. This Pokémon wasn't just like those Caterpie and Weedle. I passed through the small ones, and I was currently trying to beat through my fear towards this Scyther.

"Lows! You can throw the Sport Ball now!" Ziggs yelled but I was still there, too nervous to even take out the Sport Ball as my bag fell to the ground. I hurriedly picked it up as I yelled inside my heart, _Lows, what in the world are you doing?!_

Ziggs tried to fight one more time, this time hitting the opponent with the Facade attack, but was quickly countered with Slash. He was feeling weak at this point, yet I still didn't make a move. He looked at me in the eyes, with an expression saying, "I believe in you".

My mind was going crazy. Part of me really want to face up to the fear I had for years, another part of me was the little boy back in Petalburg Woods, trying to escape from the Bug types and the reality.

Suddenly, a voice appeared in my mind.

 _"Do you think you can do anything great when you grow up? Hahaha!"_

 _I guess they are right... I am useless after all._

I sighed, as another voice suddenly appeared.

 _"With your attitude like this, you will never be able to succeed in life!"_

 _I know, alright?! You all are right, I won't be able to succeed after all! I can't even break through my fear..._

 _Another voice suddenly appeared..._

 _"No matter what happens, I'll support you."_

The memories were just like reality as I closed my eyes: A boy lending me his hand and encouraging me.

 _"Don't think that the bad things said by others about you are discouraging, because instead, you can work hard to prove them wrong."_

I opened my eyes, more determined than I ever was before.

 _I won't let my fears ruin my dreams!_

I took out a Sport Ball as I threw it towards the Bug type, hitting the target. The Sport Ball shook...

One, two, three...

Suddenly, the Sport Ball broke free as the Scyther came out, running away from us, much to my disappointment. I went to Ziggs and said, "I'm sorry, Ziggs. I know you worked hard."

"It's alright!" He said, still being cheerful, "The most important thing is, you managed to fight through your fears in the end, even if it's against such a huge Scyther! How did you do that?"

"Well..." I slightly hesitated before continuing, "I-It's because..."

{Time's up for the Blue Group! Please give us your chosen Pokémon and wait for the final results.}

We walked back into the building and handed the Caterpie we caught. Even though the results weren't fruitful, but I did something that I can be proud of: Standing up against my fear, and the people who... doubted me.

 _That will be another story for next time. Sorry, Ziggs. Maybe... after I gained the courage._

I was waiting for the final results to be announced, until I suddenly heard a voice, "I saw you trembling back on the field. Are you alright?"

I looked back and saw a pale-skinned female trainer who had long black straight hair with two side braids in the front. She was wearing an ice-blue knee length dress, white sweater, long white socks, and a pair of white and light blue sneakers.

I looked at her blue eyes and answered honestly, "It's nothing. I had a fear of Bug types, but I'm sure this contest helped me from it. Well, a little, at least." I chuckled.

"I'm glad you're fine in the end. Anyways, my name is Yuki." She introduced herself.

"Do you perhaps know Lisa Karame?" I asked, as I remembered her mentioning about Yuki too.

"Yeah, we met at the Pokémon Day Care. If I'm not mistaken, you are her traveling companion for the journey?"

"You're right. I'm Lows, and it's great to meet you." I said.

"Lisa told me that she's lucky to have a great companion like you. Well, it's kind of what I think about my companion too. She's a great friend." She smiled.

"Oh, you have a traveling companion too?"

"Yeah, her name is Summer. We met in the Orange Islands and she was the one who made me started a journey on my own."

"W-Wait, Summer? That means you'll be meeting up with her soon, right?"

"Yeah, why is that?" She asked.

"If you can, tell her that I appreciate her help, it really helped me to gain the courage to overcome my fear."

"Don't worry, I will." Yuki happily accepted.

"Thanks, Yuki. I'm going to meet up with Lisa now, it's nice knowing you."

"Same here, see you soon!" Yuki said as we separated ways.

* * *

The participants were anticipating for the results, and they were even more tensed up when the three judges gathered the participants at the observation platform.

"I hope you all had a wonderful time at today's Bug Catching Contest!" The elderly judge shouted through a microphone. "We will now announce the winners from each Group, then the overall winner. Remember, they can choose to keep our release their caught Pokémon after the Contest." He pulled out a piece of paper and cleared his throat. "The winner of the Green Group is Whitney, who caught a Butterfree!"

"Oh yeah!" She hollered, causing the crowd and Bugsy to chuckle.

 _Wow, even Whitney participated in the contest. I guess this shows how popular this contest is._

The judge continued, "The winner of the Red Group is Summer, who caught a Weedle!"

Everyone gasped. "No one has ever won a group with a Weedle before!" someone whispered while I cheered for her. I was more than happy that she won her group.

"Lastly, the winner of the Blue Group is Sorin, who caught a Pinsir!"

I wasn't much affected by the results as I expected it. I politely clapped with the crowd. Bugsy then stood in front of the microphone.

"Now, for the overall winner. It was a tough decision...but the overall winner in today's Bug-Catching Contest is Sorin Baldwin! Sorin, come on up!"

We clapped as the Johto native approached the judges. The elderly judge showed us an orange stone that was shaped like a sun with cone shaped rays.

"Sorin, I am happy to give you this Sun Stone. Please use it wisely."

He nodded and carefully accepted his prize.

Bugsy announced, "The Contest is now officially over! Enjoy the rest of your day, and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday for the next Contest!"

After that, I was given a decision to keep or return the Caterpie I caught, which I ended up returning it back to the park. Although I lost, I'm happy with how I did in the contest.

 _Looks like... I learn something new everyday, even the ones that seemed to be terrible for me..._

I chuckled as I met up with Lisa and continued our journey to Ecruteak City.

* * *

 **Lows' Pokémon Team:**

 **Surfer (Blastoise, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Surf, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Defense**

 **Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect**

 **Grace (Gardevoir, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind [Recovering]**

 **Woody (Sceptile, Male) Lonely Nature, moves: Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Aerial Ace, Agility**

 **Power (Machoke, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Submission, Seismic Toss, Rock Tomb, Scary Face**

 **Shadow (Absol, Female) Quiet Nature, moves: Night Slash, Payback, Psycho Cut, Protect**

 **Star (Mareep, Female) Gentle Nature, moves: Thundershock, Growl,Tackle**

 **Questions of the Chapter:**

 **How do you think of Lows' performance in the Bug Catching Contest?**

 **Who were the people in Lows' memories?**

 **What do you think of the appearance of Summer and Yuki?  
**


	19. The Future of the Story

Hello everyone, it's Fancyyy.

As you can see, I have not been posting for a while. Why is that?

There are many reasons to top it up, but there's this one huge factor that affected my story progression.

Losing motivation.

Motivation is obviously something extremely important for a writer to produce good content. Same goes to every single other career, too.

I remember when I first started writing, I was having high hopes for it: I want to have fun, make my readers happy.

However, it's been almost one and a half year, and my motivation is slowly... dying out.

Part of me still wants to continue the story, I really do. However, I just went to Form 4, or what you all called, "10th grade". The syllables are definitely much harder compared to the past few years, and slowly but surely killing me on the inside.

Next up, it also seems that I found my lost passion towards gaming videos. I've been making videos again, because I know that it's something that I don't wanna give up in my life.

However, I don't want to give up this story too, but I just can't find time for this story, or rather being demotivated for it.

Also, the Johto region isn't something I am really keen of writing, and that also counts into one of the reasons I feel demotivated.

I know that I shouldn't make decisions that quickly, so I asked my friend flblaziken, "What am I supposed to do?"

(Just a note: She's a great writer and if you haven't read her stories already, definitely give it a try.)

She suggested, "It's fine to take a break to figure things out, or even change the plot to end the story early.

Overall, let the readers know what's going on, and they'll understand. It happens to writers and artists."

I really appreciated her suggestions and opinions, she is like a teacher to me in writing. She also said that in the end, it's MYSELF to decide how I want the story to end.

So I thought about it, and came up with my own solution.

The main plot points will be chosen by myself, and some chapters including gym battles and filler chapters will not be written in the Johto arc anymore. Collaboration chapters with flblaziken and the League battles will be featured in the arc. Updates will not be weekly anymore and the chapters might jump from here to there.

This is because Lows will have a FINAL ARC for his journey, and this story affects his future appearance. The final arc will not be weekly too, maybe monthly or so, I'll try to keep track of things.

I hope you respect my decision, and feel free to release your opinions in the reviews section. I am always an indecisive person, and this decision was made by me after a whole lot of thinking.

Thanks for reading this, it will not be the end of this story. See you in the next one.


	20. The End

Hello, everyone.

I have some really sad news to tell you.

I won't be continuing the story anymore.

I thought I could, but I guess I just wasn't very interested in Johto, after all.

However, I have posted a new story, which is the final arc - Kanto. I will try to including everything that happened in Johto as an explanation in the first few chapters. It's gonna have a dark turn, don't worry though, it's not anything scary.

Thanks for being here, and see you in Kanto: The Final Attempt - Reveal to the Past!


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